Of Their Own Accord
by Combat68Wombat
Summary: Captain Rex and the men of the 501st build their lives while fighting the clone wars. They're no longer just clones bred to fight and die. They're men with things to lose, but fight of their own Accord.Rated T for Violence, Trauma, and slight sex scenes in later chapters. Possibly OOC, Almost entirely Clone centered. Rex/Ahsoka/ OC/OC Hardcase, Jesse, Kix, Coric
1. Defense of Kamal

His eyes watered as the concussive energy frim the blast overwhelmed his helmet's systems, causing his HUD to flash brightly before it reset. Captain Rex dropped to one knee behind a barrier while looking around to reorient himself. He shot a look over to his medic, Kix, who was systematically checking the wounded soldier from the most recent turned to look over to he next felled wall to Fives.

"Where's the Commander?" he asked, yelling over his helmet's external speaker while reloading his DC-17 pistols with new charge packs.

Fives popped up quickly shouldering his DC-15 Rifle and put several bolts down range, felling three B1 battledroids, before dropping back into cover. "She's on the right side, Captain, about twenty meters up from our line."

Switching the internal comms, Rex hurtled over the barrier to move closer to his Commander, who always seemed to move further and further from their line with each wave of droids. " _Fierfek_ " he muttered. "Why can't she stay with the men?" he asked Fives over their internal comms.

Rex dodged incoming blaster fire from Separatist battledroids as he returned accurate and heavy fire from his pistols. Thanks to the natural bottleneck of the valley they were in, his company of Clone Troopers could keep the droids far enough away from their line for him to move up to the out cropping of rocks where his Commander now stood.

Jedi padawan Ahsoka Tano was the commander of the 501st Legion of the Grand Army of the Republic. In the matter of a year, she had gone from a youthful, wild youngling being assigned to Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker as his padawan learner, to a mature young woman tasked with leading men into combat. Having just dispatched a contingent of droids attempting to flank over the rocky outcropping on which she now stood, she paused to rest before moving to rejoin the line.

Ahsoka watched as Rex moved to her position under the covering fire of his men. She smiled as he slowed down once he reached to safety of the rocks and jogged over to her.

"Commander, you really should stay closer to the men. Especially with this many tinnies." Rex breathed out, winded from his dash to cover.

"I know, Rexie" She said, grinning. "But its just no fun when its this easy." She motioned to the walls of the deep valley they were in.

"Besides" she added, "Master Kenobi will be here anytime now with reinforcements to finish off the rest of the tinnies. The town is fine."

Looking at the small town of Kamal, it was easy to place as a natural stronghold. It sat nestled in a deep valley with only one entrance large enough for significant numbers of attackers. It was here that Torrent Company now lay, entrenched in the 30 meter wide space between the walls of the valley, stopping the seperatists from moving in and capturing the leaders of the local resistance. Dantooine had become a heavily contested planet due to its lack of government and high quantities of resources.

"Commander, please come rejoin the men on the line. General Skywalker would kill me if something happened to you" Rex said, beckoning her to follow him. Captain Rex had served with Ahsoka almost the entire war. He knew she could take care of herself, but it was still his job to protect her. Plus, he thought, she's my friend.

"Alright, Rex" Ahsoka conceded, igniting her lightsaber. "Let's get back to the boys." And with that, she gave one of her suspicious smiles and took off towards Torrent Company with Rex right behind her.

Diving into a shallow trench behind Ahsoka, Rex joined Coric and Jesse. Placing fire down with his pistols into the front rank of a new wave of droids marching towards Kamal, he heard Jesse from his left.

"Sir, this wave is thinned out. They must be running out of tinnies to throw at us."

"It's about _Shabla_ time." Muttered Coric, on one knee as tossed aside a now empty power cell from his DC-15. " _Fekkin_ running out of ammo."

Ahsoka ran over crouched as Jesse tossed Coric a power cell. "Let's finish strong then." She said, joining her captain an his men.

Rex was put three bolts into a super battle droid, while Jesse and Coric began shooting the B1s left standing in the front rank. Rex reached into his belt and pulled out a droid popper when one of his men nearby took a round to chest an fell over, inaudible over the blaster fire. Rex raised one pistol to shoot the offending droid, and then hurled the droid popper into front rank of B1s. The device went off, sending an explosive Electromagnetic pulse through the surrounding droids, causing them to fall limp to the ground.

Rex dropped down to check his power cells when he noticed Kix peeling the chest piece off another injured soldier. _Fierfek_ he thought. That's twelve already. Then he started firing again.

Ahsoka saw the trooper go down. She didn't know who he was, but it was still personal. It always was. She knew Rex took it extremely hard when one of his brothers was killed. Vode he called them. Brothers. Her thoughts were interrupted by one of her men.

"Commander Tano, Captain Rex, sir! General Kenobi has made contact. He's asking for a landing site." The trooper stood there, one hand to the side of his helmet, datapad in the other.

Captain Rex immediately pulled a small cylindrical grenade from his belt and handed it to the trooper. "Take this, Hale, tell General Kenobi the LZ will be marked by smoke. Ask him for confirmation of color and location."

"Yes , Sir!" Hale said, and looked over to Ahsoka for confirmation. She gave a nod and he turned around to set up the landing site for the LAAT/I's.

Ahsoka turned to Rex and gave him a relived look. "Thanks Rex, I didn't even think about an LZ." She admitted. "I'm glad I have you." And she smiled.

As Republic fighters swooped in and began strafing the remaining droids, Rex allowed himself to relax and think about what Ahsoka had just said to him. _I'm glad I have you_.

The Resolute was the 501st's base of operations for the war. General Obi-Wan Kenobi and his 212th Attack Battalion shared the cruiser as well. Captain Rex had his own room in the wing of the massive ship that housed the 501st. it was here that he often found himself busy doing maintenance of his weapons and armor, or simply pondering his life and the war in which he and his brothers were fighting.

He also found himself thinking of her. The only female who ever captured his attention. She was always there when he needed someone. both, on and off the battlefield. He knew he shouldn't be thinking about her and he tried not to. "She's a Jedi" he'd tell himself, "And my commander. It's unprofessional to think like that." Usually his logic would take over and that would be it. But this time he kept hearing her say it over again. _I'm glad I have you._ And that smile she gave him. How he loved I when the young Togruta smiled.

"I shouldn't be thinking about this." He said to him self. Rex grabbed his helmet and clipped it to his belt. "some chow ought to do it" and exited his room.

Kix was seated with Coric, Jesse, Hale and Hardcase when Captain Rex entered the mess hall. He always enjoyed eating with his Captain. Especially after a battle where he'd had to see so many of brothers die. The medic had gone through eighteen hypodermic syringes of antibiotics, twenty-four hypos of pain killer, all eight of his bacta sprays, and a dozen sterile dressings. Kix's aid bag was practically empty and he felt the same the way.

Talking with his _Vode_ after a battle was as good of therapy as the clones would get, so they relished it. Kix and his brothers gathered in the chow hall following each engagement to eat and joke around in the way that only soldiers can. Captain Rex always sat with them to get some good laughs in and talk to the men.

"Good to see you out of your room, sir." Hardcase said teasingly, moving his tray over a bit to fit Rex's.

"Eh, somebody's got to keep an eye on you boys." Rex joked, shouldering Hardcase over a bit more. "How's the shoulder, Coric?" he asked as he began chowing down on the day's protein.

"Oh, you know me, Sir. I'll be fine, so long as Jayna doesn't kill me for getting shot. Again." Coric added.

Jayna was one of the many women that had found love in the men of Torrent Company. Being part of the 501st had afforded them the luxury of garrisoning on Coruscant between operations. Over the past year, the men had developed personal lives outside the GAR, which usually amounted to a girlfriend or two for some of the men.

"Yeah, after Rhen-Var Iris was most unhappy to find that blaster burn on my hip" Kix added, laughing as he recalled the memory of its discovery.

"Good to know that my highly trained soldiers can survive a battle against the seperatists just to be killed by angry women" Rex, said sarcastically, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "At least Hale has the sense to stay away from them"

"Not for long, Cap'n." Hale said grinning "I've got me a date when we get back, courtesy of Jayna." Hale downed the rest of his drink and looked at Rex for a response.

" _D'ikut_." Rex sighed jokingly. He looked across the chow hall to the entrance. Ahsoka was standing in the doorway looking around. When she spotted him she lit up and pointed to an empty table and then got in line for chow.

"I'm going to go eat with the Commander." Rex said, standing up and grabbing his tray. "I'll see you men at formation in the morning" and turned away.

"Good luck, Romeo" Jesse said softly, only loud enough for the guys to hear, and saw their grinning faces.

"What was that _Ner Vod_?" Rex asked, spinning around suddenly looking at the whole table. After a few seconds of staring each man down, he turned to leave, knowing all was right, again.

Rex had just resumed eating at his new table when Ahsoka set her tray down and joined him. Even in the aftermath of battle and a year of hard fighting, she sill looked youthful and beautiful. _Stop it!_ He thought to himself.

"How are the men?" she asked before digging in to the display of food before her.

"They're all good, Commander. And yes, Coric is alright. Just a little burn to his shoulder. Kix took care of him." Rex finished and took another bite food.

Ahsoka smiled and looked down for a second. "Good. What about you, Rex? How are you doing?" she was sincere.

"I'm find Commander, just a shame to lose good men. It always is" Rex replied, pausing a second before adding the last part.

They ate in silence for a couple minutes, every once in awhile locking eyes for a second before both looking away, blushing. Finally, Ahsoka spoke.

"Rex, call me Ahsoka. When its just the two of us, there's no point in calling me Commander. We're friends, right?"

"Rex smiled. "Right" he said , pausing a moment before adding, "Ahsoka."

"You know, we're headed to Coruscant." She said after another few seconds had passed. "You and men should get a week pass to recover before we head out again." Ahsoka watched Rex for a reaction to the news. There was none.

"That's good to hear, Comm- Ahsoka." He corrected "I'll be sure to let the boys know." Rex was done eating now. He wanted to stay just to be next to her, but he knew that it was unbecoming of a Captain to fall in love with his CO. So, he had to cut his losses and leave. For now, at least.

"I'm going to go back to my room and clean my gear, Comm- Ahsoka." _There it was again_ he thought. _Fierfek, it just feels good to say her name_. Rex hurried away trying to appear normal.

Ahsoka watched as her Captain walked away. He was good at shielding her from his mind, but every once in awhile she could pick up on his emotions. _Yes_ she thought. _He_ _is my Captain._

A/N:

So this is the first chapter in my first story. Let me know how it is. The characters might seem slightly out of character when hey aren't in battle, but this is my take on how they would be outside what we might see on the show. So there is romance, brotherly fights, alcohol, and a lot stupid jokes, just like any soldier would experience, fictional or not. I'm open to criticism, so Review or PM me. I plan to update fairly often since I have a lot of time on my hands.


	2. En Route to Coruscant

CHAPTER 2: EN ROUTE TO CORUSCANT

Rex strode quickly down the final corridor leading to his room, nestled in the 501st's wing of the Venator class star destroyer _Resolute_. he hated to leave Ahsoka but being in her presence at the moment was too much for him. Rex keyed in his passcode, and the doors to his room slid open. At least here he could focus on other tasks, like cleaning his weapons and armor; a duty that all good soldiers performed daily.

As the door slid shut behind him, Rex placed his weapons on his bunk and began shedding his armor, starting by placing his helmet at his feet. The armor of the Republic's clone soldiers was a thick plastoid alloy that could take the energy from a blaster bolt and disperse it throughout that particular piece. The spreading of the energy reduced the damage potential compared to if the energy remained concentrated on a single point.

The armor plates were worn atop a body glove that was insulated and sealed from air and water. Using a gription system, the armor pieces could be fastened to the body suit and remain in place, even after a shot from a blaster. Once the clone's helmet was put on and sealed, the armor became an airtight vacuum, that could protect the wearer from the elements including outer space for short time.

Captain Rex took pride in his armor. With the burns, dents, and scratches on it, it documented a year of war and battles fought. The trademark blue of the 501st legion trimmed his armor plates, chips ever present in the paint job, also reminders of the war.

Even though he could never scrub away the bad memories or battle scars from his armor, it was always therapeutic to remove the dust and dirt from white plates that had saved his life many times. Plus, it distracted him from thinking about Ahsoka. How her smile could make his stomach flutter, and make him lose his train of thought, if just for a second.

' _Fierfek_ ' he thought. _'At it again_ '. He tossed the shin guard he was wiping down onto the pile of clean pieces on the floor. ' _This girl's driving me crazy_ '. He though, and smiled a bit. He grabbed his helmet, rubbing his thumb over the Jaig eyes that were unique to him. They were his way of displaying pride in his mandalorian culture. Every clone had it. They just showed it in different ways. Most of the men in the 501st spoke it, although the newer men hadn't picked up on it as much as the first generation of clones had.

Rex gave his helmet a quick wipe down with a rag and set it at his side. Picking up his DC-17s he twirled them around in his hands. They were both heavily modified to be perfect weapons, many of the modifications heavily frowned upon in the civilian world. They had a higher charge capacity then originally designed for, as well as hair triggers, allowing him to fire faster and easier. They gave a bigger kick due to the extra power behind each bolt, but after a year of use, he'd mastered them to the point that they'd become an extension of his being.

He slid off the sealed top cover, revealing the innards to his precious pistol. With a lubricated rag, he gently wiped away the accumulated residue from the heated oils and applied a new protective layer to the parts. After resealing the top covers on both pistols, he placed them in their holsters and set his belt and kama at the foot of his bunk. Looking a the chrono, he realized how late it was. They were off duty on the thirty hour jump to Coruscant, and he'd spent 3 of them cleaning his armor.

Rex cleared his bed of cleaning supplies and laid down on his back, letting out a deep sigh as he finally allowed himself to relax. The ache of his muscles set in for a second before dissipating in the wake of his over due slumber. He let his face form a light smile as the rest of his body fell into the relaxed state that proceeded a deep sleep and set his thoughts on course for his favorite dream; _Ahsoka_.

* * *

After Rex left the mess hall, Ahsoka focused on quickly finishing her food. There was no more reason to stick around. Her quick meal consisted of one train of thought: _Rex_. ' _Do I_ _love him_?' she thought. ' _What is love even_?'. She'd been taught that love, as all other emotions, were the path to dark side, yet this feeling she had for the man that had come to be her best friend didn't seem dark or evil at all. It made her tingle down in her stomach, and it made her smile. Rex made her happy. She could at least admit that much. But was that bad?

Ahsoka set her tray up and left the mess hall, heading back to her quarters to think about what she was feeling. These thoughts had, as of late, usually accompanied the brief halt in the 501st fighting. Usually it was just an weird desire to be around him, to feel his presence, but over the past couple months it had grown into a need.

She turned into the hall that housed her room, and keyed in her passkey to open the door. Once in the relative safety of her room, she allowed her guard down and her thoughts to run free. Plopping down onto her bunk, she groaned. "The middle of a war is no place to be having a teenage emotional crisis." She said to herself.

Pulling her pillow underneath her and burying her face into the end of it, she sighed. How could such a wonderful feeling be the source of so much condemnation in the Jedi order? Thinking back to her time as a youngling at the temple, she recalled several times where she was told about the dangers of forming attachments. As a child, she had simply nodded and went along her way, in no way thinking that she would ever have to worry about falling in love or forming any relationship outside of the symbiotic relationship between master and padawan. Yet here she was.

Ahsoka unclipped her lightsaber and set it on her shelf, well within reach of her bunk. Then she detached her comlink and set it next her weapon. Over the past year she had grown stronger, both physically and in her connection to the force. After growing up in the confines of the Jedi temple, the past year of exposure to the ever expanding galaxy had allowed her a chance to experience the force in its full effect. She called on it now to help her find guidance in this matter, determined to put her mind at ease before she succumbed to heavy sleep that even now creeped in on her.

Opening her mind the force, she focused on her issue. Was this feeling she had for Rex as sinister as she'd been led to believe? She tried to fight back sleep, determined to resolve her dilemma, but after the tiring battle she'd fought so hard to win, she lost to her own fatigue and sleep overtook her.

* * *

Kix, Hardcase, Jesse, Hale, and Coric left the mess hall and joined the rest of their company slowly congregating in the recreation room. Taking their usual spot in the corner where a series of shelves housed holo-books and magazines, they allowed themselves to relax.

"I'm not going to be sticking around too long, boys" Kix said, leaning back in the cushioned chair. "I'm exhausted from that Shabla fight on Dantooine. I need to sleep before we start getting riled up again at Jaster's."

Coric covered his mouth while yawning deeply. "Oh yeah. Those boys in orange are gonna try to take a shot at the title when we get back." He turned to Hardcase and Jesse next to him, both nodding and trying to stifle yawns.

Jaster's was a nightclub and bar in the entertainment district of Coruscant. It was also the only one left on planet that would allow clones inside. The men had tendency to argue and fight when the alcohol started flowing and most clubs wanted nothing to do with that. But Jaster's held out, eventually becoming the center of life on Coruscant for the Clone troops on leave. A decent number of civilians also frequented the club, growing accustomed to the clones' wild ways. The men also enjoyed the surprisingly large female presence their, most developing relationships and lives outside the military as a result.

"Don't forget, Hale. You have a date with Vikki. Jayna went to great lengths to arrange this. She's a lot like you. Not wild and crazy at the bar." Coric finally said, smiling at Hale.

"I won't, _Vod_. Trust me, I'm actually excited to go on a date finally." Hale replied, smiling as he nodded to Coric. "And you can't blame me for not finding drunk, crazy women attractive." He added.

Hale was a bit on the quite side, though far from timid. Even as the communication specialist in his squad, he was still as strong, big and intimidating has his brothers. He usually accompanied his brothers out to the club, but tended to refrain from any serious flirting. A good beer and the companionship of his brothers was good enough for him. That, and the impending the fight between Torrent company and whatever other unit was their that night. Every clone loved a good fight.

"Vikki's gonna meet us at Jaster's at 2000 local time, so once we disembark and get released, we'll have a few hours to find you a suitable outfit and get you dressed up for your date" Coric said, looking over at Hardcase and Jesse for agreement.

"Oh yeah." Jesse added. "You don't want everyone thinking you're just a shiny; walking in there in your fatigues."

The men weren't necessarily paid, per se. But the Republic did have a well funded Morale and Recreation program, which each unit delegated spending of. For the most part, it went to the men getting funds for when they went on leave. It was usually enough so each man could go out and grab drinks, eat, and buy a proper set of civilian clothes for their days off.

"There's a place a couple blocks from the barracks." Kix chimed in. "It's where we went last time, when we had to get you a new shirt because you puked on your old one" he said to Hardcase.

"Yeah, yeah. We can go there, assuming the shop owner lets me back in" Hardcase agreed, laughing as he recalled the events of that night.

The men laughed for a little longer, enjoying stories of nights past, and their victories over other units in drunken brawls. Kix looked up at the chrono. Twenty-four hours until they reached Coruscant. The men sat silent for a few more minutes, just basking in the background noise of their brothers watching the holonet, or working out.

Coric looked around at his squadmates. The five of them were as close as any squad could be. They'd fought most of the whole war together. Coric, had been there the longest, one of the only survivors from Teth. The other four had arrived as replacements and immediately the five of them became a force to be reckoned with. Coric, was their squad leader. He was experienced, and cared very much for his men. Hale ran communications, not just for the squad though. He was notoriously good at his job, so Captain Rex often called on him for his skills. Kix, also in the same boat as Hale, was the best medic in the company. The other three medics in Torrent often looked to him for advice and expertise. Hardcase loved weaponry more than he loved women. He never went in the battle without enough explosives to level a small village. On bigger missions he was allowed to carry his rotary cannon. Then there was Jesse. An expert rifleman, he could target droids' weak points and wipe out a platoon of droids before they crossed a 100 meter field.

"Alright boys, I'll call it." Kix finally said, standing up and clipping his helmet to his belt. "none of us are going anywhere when we get back if we don't get some sleep." And with that he began a slow trudge towards his room.

"I guess that's it boys" Coric agreed, following a few feet behind Kix. "Doc is right. We'd better rest up unless you want the 212th to take over the bar."

Coric turned out of the door way and left the rec room. The other three men, all rose, and wearily clipped their helmet onto their belts and began the walk to their barracks room where they could finally shuck off their armor and give into the sleep they had been fighting for a few days now.

The clones strode down the hallways of the Resolute quietly and finally reached the room where the four of them bunked. Kix and Coric were just getting in their bunks, Kix climbing into the one on top of Hale's. Coric, as the squad leader had a single bed on the second wall of the room. On the third wall was where Hardcase and Jesse slept, Jesse having the top bunk.

With five neat sets of armor piled on shelves and the other four already in bed, Hale sat on his bunk and kicked his legs up. He plopped his head heavily into his pillow and groaned as his head sank deeper into its comfy depths. He smiled as his body loosened and his eyelids grew heavy. 'Coruscant, here we come.'

A/N

So for this chapter, I wanted the men to behave the way that soldiers coming back from the field normally would. They're tired, and grumpy, but never too tired to eat food and talk about drinking or women. Then there's Rex and Ahsoka, who are feeling the affects of battle end love. In any high stress situation, everything is magnified, even emotions. so coming down from an andrenaline high like combat, you fell all sorts of things. So I like to think I did a decent job of potraying Ahsoka and Rex dealing with it in their own ways. Chapter 3 in the next two days, preferably tomorrow but who knows, Mondays suck. Review please, I'd like to know how I'm doing.


	3. Back in Garrison

Chapter 3: Back in Garrison

The Resolute dropped out of hyperspace after its thirty hour jump from Dantooine. As the Venator class star destroyer made its way through military spacelanes onto the planet's surface, the men aboard hurried to finish their duties, anxious to be released on leave. Captain Rex made is way to the meeting room on the ship's bridge, where he joined Ahsoka Tano, and General Kenobi.

"Thank you for coming, Captain" Obi Wan started. "With Anakin away on a mission from the Chancellor, its been difficult to relay orders to his men."

To be fair, the men of the 501st had picked up on their General's wild and reckless behavior. As had his padawan. "Of course, sir." Rex replied, tilting his head in typical clone fashion, knowing their was more to come.

"I've asked you here because Anakin isn't here to give your men the safety briefing for this week. Your men will be out amongst the civilians and I just wanted to remind them of what they represent." Obi Wan spoke, clearly trying to cover all of his bases before adding the real reason he wanted Rex here.

"But most importantly, please try to keep the fighting at Jaster's down to a minimum. I need all of my men in top shape when we leave next week." Obi Wan finally added, smiling. He'd seen what had happened last time the men of the 501st and the 212th had fought at Jaster's; he was there. Even he liked to get away from life for a while.

"I'll watch over them myself, Sir." Rex said, smiling under his helmet at the memory. He and Cody had at first tried to break it up, but only half heartedly. How their men vented was their own business, and even Cody had thrown a few punches.

"Thank you, Captain. I'm going to give the same speech to Cody and his men. I'll see you planet side." And with that, Obi Wan left the meeting room, leaving Ahsoka and Rex.

Ahsoka had been quietly watching the conversation between Master Kenobi and Rex. She could sense him smiling when Kenobi brought up the fight from last time. She was surprised at how in tune she had become with her Captain. There it was again. Her Captain.

Rex popped the seal on his helmet and removed it, clipping it to his belt. He turned to Ahsoka and noticed she was zoning out, focusing seemingly on a point on the wall behind him. "Commander?" he asked, quizzically. "You alright?" he added, teasingly. He could tell when she was distracted, almost like he could pick up on her emotions even when she wasn't with him.

Ahsoka snapped back to the present. "Yeah, of course I am, Rexie." She said, grinning at the use of her nickname for him. She knew he'd disliked it at first. But it had grown on him.

"So are you going to be going to that bar, Jaster's, or whatever its called?" She asked him, staring, now, at his eyes; waiting for an answer.

"I usually go anyways." Rex added, trying to avert her gaze. "Cody and I enjoy the break from the barracks. Its always good to spend time with the men. You, uh, you could come if you wanted." He added. Why had he added that last part, he thought. Did I just invite her out?

"Me? Go to a bar?" Ahsoka asked, stunned. She was no longer staring into his eyes, now she was the one flustered.

"Actually it's a nightclub" Rex corrected, thinking maybe that would make it better. But that wasn't what she was hesitant about.

Did he just ask me out, Ahsoka asked herself. I want to go, but should I? she looked back at him, and saw the friendliness in his face, and knew she'd been over thinking it.

"I'd love to go." She finally said, giving Rex a smile. "I just have to get away from the temple, but I will see you there. Tonight?" She asked.

Rex was taken aback. "Uh, yes. Uh, We usually get there around 1900." He shot a quick glance at his chrono. "It's usually an all night thing, too" he added. It was 1200 local time.

"Great!" Ahsoka said, her excitement palpable. "I can't wait to see what you and men do in your free time." And with that, her and Rex left the meeting room and headed their separate ways. Each had their own duties to do before the Resolute landed.

Rex opened his comm channel to give send a message to his men about what General Kenobi said to him. "Alright men, Listen up…" he started.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Resolute landed on Coruscant around 1300 local time, and its crew busied its self unloading all expended supplies and refitting it for its next mission. Everybody was anxious to start their leave.

Captain Rex, having loaded up his belongings into his duffel bag was headed off the ship to his room in Torrent Company's barracks when he ran into Coric's squad. "Coric, did you get my message about tearing up Jaster's?" he asked, jokingly. Everyone knew that a fight was inevitable.

"Yes, sir." Coric replied, knowing full well that Rex had a tendency to brawl when he'd had too many drinks. "I've passed it on my boys as well. You'll have no trouble from us." He added.

Rex knew he was grinning under his helmet. Hardcase and Jesse alone had started more fights with the 212th than any man in the company. "Sure we won't" Rex said, shaking his head.

"Hey! Captain!" Hardcase came running over, his duffel bag over one shoulder. "Are you coming to Jaster's tonight, Sir?" he asked, knowing his captain was good man to have in a fight.

The rest of the squad came over seeing Coric and Hardcase speaking with Rex. He turned to face them, and then back to Hardcase. "Yeah, somebody has to watch over you men. If you start a fight with out me there, Cody's gonna kick your Shebs in." He replied, enjoying the fact that is men enjoyed his presence with them off duty.

You brining a date this time, Sir?" Hardcase asked. Kix elbowed him, and gave him a look. "What? I'm just asking." He said.

"Not a date." Rex started, "But Commander Tano might be joining us tonight, so be on your best behavior."

The men's jaws dropped. Hardcase's mouth formed began forming a giant grin and he turned to Jesse, who was also smiling widely.

"Its just as, well, friends" Rex defended. "Jedi are not allowed relationships, and its inappropriate to insinuate otherwise." He finished. The men didn't look convinced.

"Sure thing Cap'n" Hardcase joked, knowing that the Captain and Commander were close. Everybody knew. They were inseparable.

"I'm not dealing with this right now!" Rex stormed off, face turning red, contemplating putting on his helmet to hide. He reached the bottom of the boarding ramp and headed to Torrent Company's barracks. 'Was it that obvious?' he thought. But he knew that when you were one in an army of clones, it was impossible to hide anything from your brothers.

"Hey, Rex!" a voice shouted from off to his left. Rex turned to see Commander Cody drop his bag and walk over. "You headed to Jaster's tonight? The boys are get a little antsy for some fun." He said.

Commander Cody, after Ahsoka, was Rex's best friend. Though he technically out ranked him, Cody had always thought of Rex as an equal and Rex respected that. Plus, since the 212th was in such close proximity to the 501st, Rex and Cody had fought most of the war together.

"Of course I am, Vod. Not like me to miss my boys stomp yours in a friendly brawl." Rex joked. He knew Cody had been seeing a girl lately and it was what Rex attributed to his more recent acceptance of his feelings for Ahsoka. "Is Barris meeting you there again?"

"She's gonna be there as soon as she can get away from her master and those boring boys in green." Cody answered, excited at a chance to see her again. "And, hopefully General Kenobi doesn't keep me occupied with conversation. That man can talk when he drinks."

Barris Offee was a Jedi padawan under Master Luminara Unduli, who led the 41st Elite. If Rex remembered correctly, Barris was also a good friend of Ahsoka's. maybe her presence there would help Ahsoka feel more at ease. Besides, if Barris could break the code and date Cody, then Rex had a chance with Ahsoka. Barris was known for her strict adherence to the Jedi code.

"Commander Tano said she'd join us down there" Rex admitted. He wondered if Cody could tell how he felt about her.

"Ahsoka's coming? Great! We should do a double date this week." Cody said, clearly happy with the arrangement.

Rex was thrown off by Cody calling her by her first name. maybe it wasn't so taboo after all. "Is it that obvious?" Rex asked, knowing the truth now.

"Rex, old boy, I think every trooper on the ship knows how much you love that girl." Cody said, happy that they could now discuss what he'd been trying to get Rex to face for months. "This is your chance, take it! I'll see you there tonight! 1900!" and before Rex could say anything, Cody ran back to his bag and headed to the Improcco Company Barracks.

"Fierfek" Rex mumbled. "Better go get ready."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rex's room in the barracks on Coruscant was infinitely nicer than his room on board the Resolute. Here he had a slightly bigger bed, and an actual dresser for his civilian clothes and his fatigues. The best part, was he had his own refresher. In any army, a hot shower is a commodity, and a private one even more so.

Rex dropped his bag, and shucked off his armor, placing on a shelf, easily accessible in an emergency. He peeled off his body suit and set is aside to be laundered and set a clean one next to his armor.

Walking into the refresher, he turned on the hot water and let it warm up while he set up his army issue soap in the shelf inside the shower. Taking the time, he ran clippers over the top of his head, evening out his short, blonde hair.

Once the shower was hot he dropped his compression shorts and stepped in, letting the hot water soak into his muscles and rinse off the hairs he just cut.

After he got out, Rex wiped off his mirror and followed his normal routine. He shaved, cleaned his teeth and rinsed his mouth out with a minty mouth wash.

He only owned a small collection of civilian clothes. A single pair of khaki colored slacks made from a rough material topped with one of three shirts was his usual attire. He picked a dark blue one that was close to the 501st's signature color, and through it on. He straightened the collar and wiped the wrinkles out of his sleeves, rolling them up to elbow length.

'Yes' he thought. 'This will have to do.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Heron squad busied themselves with getting ready for their night on the town. The five them showered in their platoon's shower bay and each took to their own ritual for date night. Hardcase, ever vigilant about the state of his hair was shaping it to perfection, while Jesse watched, happy he'd decided to shave his head some months ago.

They all finished relatively quick and reminded Hale that they still had to stop and get him something nice to wear. His usual attire of a straight red shirt over white slacks wouldn't do, and his army issue fatigues definitely wouldn't do.

Hardcase threw him so pomade. "Put this in your hair, Vod. Ladies love it"

Hale looked down at the jar. It smelled strongly of something he couldn't identify, but he had to admit it was rather appealing. He scooped some of it out and rubbed his hands together. He ran his hands through his hair, spiking his hair up and forward, the way he'd seen Fives wear his.

"You guys almost ready to leave?" Coric asked, pulling on boots that went underneath his wide bottomed pants, made out of a similar material to Rex's. "I'd like to still get to Jaster's at 1900."

"Yeah, I'm ready." Hale said, excited to see how the night would go. He had a good feeling about it and things were looking up.

"Alright, let's go" Hardcase said, and let the entourage out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Block 3F was the best place to find clothes in the latest fashion. It was also on the way to the entertainment district where Jaster's sat. Russi's Retail Clothing was a chain shop that was nestled between two larger designer emporiums on the block. Heron squad headed in and drug Hale around the shop, each man selecting articles of clothing that they thought would win him Vikki's heart.

When they'd finished, Hale had a pile of discarded clothing at his feet and an impressive looking outfit in his hands. Keeping his original boots, Jesse had found a pair of pants that were a light brown and fit over his boots. Kix had found a short sleeve collard shirt with stripes running down it.

"Iris says vertical stripes make you taller" Kix said, admiring the shirt as he held it up to Hale's torso. "You look good in stripes." He added, nodding his head approvingly.

"Yes, I can see it" Coric added, agreeing with the shirt and pants they'd selected. "I think you should buy them, Hale."

"You think so?" Hale asked, holding them clothes to his body and looking in a mirror. "I do like them."

"Come on, Di'kut" Hardcase joked, "They look great, we're gonna be late if you don't hurry." He picked up the discarded clothing and set it aside for the workers to put back on the racks.

"Alright" Hale said, clearly sold on the outfit. "He threw the shirt and pants over his arm and headed to check out. His brothers followed behind him, pleased to be finally on their way to Jaster's.

Hale changed into his new outfit, putting his fatigues in the bag that the cashier had given him, and folded it up, handing it to Coric to stuff into his cargo pocket. The boys strode purposefully the remaining few blocks to the entertainment district. After weeks of fighting on Dantooine, the men couldn't help laughing at the fact that they now had a week off to enjoy themselves, and tonight was the start of it.


	4. Love at Jaster's

Chapter 4: Love at Jaster's

The men of Heron Squad fought their way through the crowd of clones and civilians to their usual spot, a large corner booth that overlooked the dance floor and had easy access to the bar. Scooting in, they all took a second to revel in the scenery. An Ithoran bartender worked a five meter long bar which dozens of patrons congregated at throughout the night for drinks and socializing. A modified protocol droid sat behind a mess of computers and speakers controlling the music and lights for the party goers on the dance floor. The dozens of tables and booths through out the club completed the otherwise packed building.

"It's good to be back, boys" Coric shouted over the music, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back to stretch. "This place is pretty much home for us, eh?"

"Its 1930, what time are the girls showing up?" Kix asked, more for Hale's benefit then his own. The man was already looking around for the familiar pack of women who completed the family the men of Heron squad had become.

"Give it thirty minutes or so" Hardcase said, clearly in no hurry. He looked around eyeing the waitress droid bringing food to another table. "Who's hungry? I could go for some fried snacks." He licked his lips thinking about the breaded munchies.

"Do you guys think Vikki will like me?" Hale asked, starting to feel nervous. He'd been so focused on everything going great with her, that he hadn't even thought about what would happen if she didn't like him.

"What's not to like, Vod" Jesse asked? Knowing what was going through his mind. He'd felt the same way when he'd been set up with Arcee.

"What if I can't think of anything to say or she thinks I'm too quiet?" Hale answered. He was known for being the quiet type, unless he needed to be heard in combat. But He didn't think combat compared to what was about to go down.

Coric slapped his shoulder reassuringly. "Vikki works at an electronics store, so you guys can talk about comms and stuff. Plus, Jayna says she's quiet too. You guys were made for each other."

Just then, the guys heard Jayna shout from across the club. "Hey Guys!" she screamed, jumping up and waving to catch their attention. She pointed at them, and the whole group of women started fighting their way through the partyers to their booth.

Coric got up to greet Jayna with a kiss, pulling her out of her friends' way. Hardcase, Kix, and Jesse got up to greet their girlfriends as well, leaving Hale and Vikki staring awkwardly at each other, not knowing what to say.

"Oh how rude of me!" Jayna said, pulling Vikki's arm towards the booth. "Hale, this is Vikki, she works for a communication company by my work." Jayna smiled expectantly.

Hale gave a reassuring smile and stuck a hand out to Vikki. "Nice to meet you, ma'am." He said, waiting for her to return the greeting.

Vikki nervously grabbed his hand to shake it. As soon as she took it, she felt immediately more comfortable by him. His firm grip was inviting and warm, and his smile made her face blush. She gave a nervous giggle, and finally spoke. "Hi, Hale. Nice to finally meet you"

Her words were like music to him. She had a beautiful voice that was pleasing to the senses. He realized he still had her hand, and let go of it. He immediately wanted to take it back. "Uh, um, you want to sit down. Here." He stammered out, scooting over to make room for her next to him.

Vikki's face grew redder and she slid into the booth next to Hale and turned to look up at him. She caught his eyes and turned away quickly. "Thanks" she said softly.

The two of them faced the crowd of clones and women watching them and noticed they'd had an audience for the brief exchange. Both of their faces were red and they looked away from the crowd.

"Come on, Jayna. Let's go dance." Coric said, pulling his woman into his arms and bringing her out onto the dance floor. The rest of the couples followed leaving Hale and Vikki alone at the massive table.

"So what do you do at work?" hale asked, trying to break the ice with this mysterious, beautiful woman next to him. He sneaked a couple glances at her, noticing her dress, and her rather attractive figure.

"I, um, I manage communication equipment; making sure it functions and checking the frequencies that it operates on." She spat out, rather quickly. She looked up at the strong, intimidating looking figure next to her. There was no denying that she found him attractive.

"That's so cool!" Hale said, pleased that this gorgeous woman next to him was also intelligent and enjoyed working with electronics, just like him. "I'm a radio communications specialist in my unit." He said, returning her looks.

'So' Vikki thought, 'he works with comm equipment, too.' She couldn't believe that this soldier who could crush her with his bare hands was a tech nerd, like her. "

The two talked enthusiastically, falling deep into conversation about all sorts of electronics and tinkering and their aspirations for the future. Neither noticed Captain Rex come into the nightclub.

Rex looked around the club, giving it a brief once over. 'nope' he thought, 'she's not here yet'. He looked over to the corner where Heron squad usually sat and saw Hale with girl talking and laughing. 'Good for you, trooper' he thought, and smiled. He saw Coric dancing with Jayna on the floor and the rest of the squad around them enjoying their night with their girlfriends. Rex headed to the booth, not in any great hurry. He carefully negotiated the crowd of people and arrived to see Hale holding the female's hand while they talked, seemingly about radios, of all things.

"Sir!" Hale said, haphazardly coming to attention for his CO, but Rex waved him back down.

"Not in civvies, please" Rex said, still looking around for any signs of Ahsoka. He turned back towards Hale and his new friend and sat down. "So fill me in, what did I miss?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ahsoka was sitting on her bed. She'd been sitting there for an hour now fighting with herself over it. 'I want to go. I want see Rex.' She thought. 'But what if giving in to this attachment is really the path to the dark side?" She was confused to say the least.

She threw her face into her pillow. "Ugh! What do I do?" She yelled into her pillow, it coming out as a muffled cry. All she could think about was hoe happy Rex made her feel, and how safe she was when he was around. She'd caught herself staring at his chiseled figure more than once, and it did something for her, that's for sure.

The more she focused o the feeling, the more it became clear. Even without the force, she'd figured it out now; and she hated it. She was in love with Rex. Once she admitted it, the truth seemed to set her free and all her emotions ran wild. She was feeling it all at once, happiness, excitement, anxiety, pleasure. But not fear. With Rex, she never felt afraid. He always made her feel safe, even on the worst battlefield. Ahsoka knew she needed help with this.

Ahsoka sat up, straightening her clothes, and pulled out her comlink. She keyed in the numbers for one of her oldest friends and the device did the rest. After a few seconds of nothing, she heard his voice over the device.

"Hello, Ahsoka. To what do I owe the pleasure?" his smooth baritone voice came out of the device, setting her at ease.

"Hello, Master Plo. I need you council on something, er, personal." She said, trying to phrase it appropriately. "I was hoping that you would be willing to help me" she added, her voice becoming more pleading.

"Of course, young one. What is it?" Master Plo Koon said, his interest piqued. As a youngling, Ahsoka had never really expressed desire for help in anything.

"Master, I'm confused. I know the Jedi forbid attachment, and I know I shouldn't feel like this, but I don't understand why." Ahsoka said, her voice expressing confusion. "How could a feeling so wonderful be so evil?"

"Ah, Youngling" He started. "My entire life, I've seen Jedi question that. I can only tell you this. Every Jedi forms attachments. Its inevitable. But, its what you do with it that makes you susceptible to the dark side. I can tell you are in love. Tell me, does he distract you from your duties?"

Ahsoka thought about it. "No, actually." She said. "I find I perform better when I'm around him. I couldn't do my job without him." She added.

"I see." Master Plo said. Pausing to take it in and think. "Ahsoka, if you're saying that this relationship makes you a better person, than I see no fault in you. But be careful, and remember your duty."

"Of course, master" Ahsoka said, excited by this new information. "Thank you, very much" she ended the call and threw the comlink on her bed as she stood up, excited.

"I've got to get to Jaster's!" she said to herself, and set about getting ready for her first night out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ahsoka got out of the speeder cab and walked through the neon lit entrance to Jaster's. It was filled with beings of all species, and more clones than she had seen outside of a battlefield. She felt strangely at ease, with so many familiar faces. The music was loud, but enjoyed it, feeling the deep pounding of the music flow through her. She could feel it in he chest as the bass in the song got heavier.

Rex felt a familiar feeling and looked up. Across the bar he saw Ahsoka standing in a beautiful red dress, looking around for him, presumably. He quickly stood up and called to her, as he weaved his way over. When they met up they were surrounded by a crowd of partyers and dancers, but they were caught up in the surreal moment his hand touched hers and he pulled her from between two dancers.

The men from the 501st in the crown looked on as their Captain seemed mesmerized by the beautiful Togruta in front of him. He snapped out of it after a few seconds and managed to stammer out a few words.

"You came!" he shouted over the music and noise of the crowd. She smiled and squeezed his hand.

"Yeah" she said laughing. "I did." Ahsoka looked around. It was there she spotted a familiar face she never thought she'd see here. Barris Offee.

Rex followed her gaze. "Yeah, she comes frequently whenever Cody's in town. The two have become quite the couple." He said, pausing to let her digest the information.

"That's crazy!" She said, "I never thought a Jedi would be here, let alone Barris."

"General Kenobi's over there with Cody" Rex said laughing, pointing over to a table where Obi Wan sat, beer in hand talking with Cody, who seemed to want to just leave.

Rex, realizing he was still holding her hand, let go and motioned to the booth. "Wanna come sit? All the guys are here." He said, still over joyed that Ahsoka had came all the way out here for him.

"I'd love to" she shouted back, trying to follow him back to booth while politely squeezing past the mess of people.

When they finally reached the table, he stepped aside so she could slide in, the cool leather feeling good on her thighs. Her short dress was similar in length to her usual attire so she wasn't too uncomfortable.

Rex slid in next to her, his thigh pressed against hers in the booth. "I'm glad you came." He said, giving her one of his playful smiles. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

Ahsoka gigled. "you know I'd never miss chance to go dancing with you." Ahsoka said teasingly with a sarcastic smirk.

Little did she know Rex would take the bait. "Alright then, Ahsoka" he said, getting pleasure from saying her name in such a manner. "Lets dance" and he grabber her hand and pulled her from the booth. She was caught off guard and she fell into him. Rex caught her in his arms, and laughed. "Not here, silly. Out there on the dance floor" and he propped her up.

Knowing she been played, Ahsoka laughed, too and followed him out to the Dance floor. She'd always loved music and it felt good to let it take over her and just enjoy having fun dancing with Rex and the rest of the crowd.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Across the bar, Coric and Jesse were getting drinks for the whole group. Coric saw Rex dancing with their Commander and tapped Jesse on the shoulder.

"Look out there." He said pointing him out. "Looks like he finally did it."

"About Fekkin time." Jesse said, agreeing with Coric. "I thought they'd never get together." And with that the two grabbed the tray of drinks and headed back to their group who were being entertained by a story or something by Hardcase.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After a few songs, Rex and Ahsoka were sweaty and thirsty, so they headed back to the table. There they found drinks that Jesse and Coric had left for them. Rex eyed her suspiciously as she looked at the glasses of beer.

"Have you ever drank alcohol?" he asked, already guessing at what the answer was.

"Uh, No. Can't say I have" she said innocently, but still smiling teasingly. "But I think I can handle it." And with that she took a glass and began gulping it down.

"Woah!" Rex said, grabbing the glass. "Just sip it, ok?" he said laughing. No need to end the night early. He grabbed a glass and showed her. She followed suit soon after.

After she'd finished her glass, she turned to him. The look in her eyes, serious, and her face determined.

"Rex, how do you feel about me?" she asked, deadpan. Not averting her gaze, but looking into his eyes as he choked on his drink for a second.

"UH, what do you mean, Ahsoka? He asked, trying to play dumb. Of course it wouldn't fly with her.

"Rex, I can feel your emotions sometimes. I just want to know what they mean." She explained, her voice gentler than before. "I want to make sure I'm reading them right."

Rex set his glass down and stared into it for awhile. Was this to be the moment he told her how he felt? Cody had told him to take a chance and go for it. 'Fierfek' he thought. 'Go for it'. Rex looked up at her. "Ahsoka I think I love you. But I don't know for sure. I'm confused. Jedi aren't supposed to have attachments and I could never put that burden on you. I care for you too much to do that." Rex said, voice stuttering a few times. There it was. All out on the table.

Rex turned to face down at his glass, again. Ahsoka could see that he felt vulnerable. Rex was never vulnerable, so this had to be new to him. Then her eyes watered, and she spoke.

"Rex, I've been fighting the same feeling for months now." She admitted. Rex looked up at her, confused. Ahsoka gave him a smile. "But its become clear that I was only hurting myself by not following my heart and I now know that this feeling is acceptable, even to Jedi."

Rex was shocked. He'd never in a million years dreamed that she would return his love, and then say that she wanted to pursue it. He didn't know what to do.

"I love you Rex" she said, finally. She didn't know if it was the eat of the moment, the alcohol, or both. He was looking into her eyes, the biggest smile he'd ever seen on her face. She was in love, he could see that.

"I love you too, Ahsoka" he replied. And with that, she shot across the small gap between them, and kissed him.


	5. Out With Barris and Cody

**Chapter 5: Out with Cody and Barris**

The kiss took Rex by surprise, causing his eyes to shoot open, but he quickly recovered and shut is eyes to return the passionate gesture. One of his hands reached up to touch her cheek and she shivered at his fingers made contact with her cool skin. After a minute, they both reluctantly came apart and looked down, blushing with embarrassment.

"Its about time, you two!" Cody said, standing a few feet away, his face lit with excitement. "We were beginning to think you'd never get together."

Barris walked up and put her arms around Cody's waist. She stood up on her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek and then turned to Rex and Ahsoka. "I always knew you two would eventually find each other" she said, happy that her best friend had came to realize what was in front of her.

"Really, Cody?" Rex asked, putting his hands to his face and feeling stupid, "Did everybody know?" Rex looked back and forth at the couple, still embarrassed that he'd been unable to hide his feeling from this many people.

"Like I said, ever trooper on the Resolute has to know by now" Cody replied, restating what he said earlier in the day by the barracks. "We were all rooting for you" he added.

"Barris!" Ahsoka interjected, "How did you know about this?" she asked, having just come the conclusion herself a couple hours before.

"Because I could sense they same emotion from you that I had for Cody" she answered, smiling and looking up at her man, who was still teasing Rex.

Heron squad walked up interrupting any further conversation with loud cheers and pats to Rex's back, congratulating him for finally getting his girl. "Good for you, Cap'n" Coric said, slightly slurring and laughing as his brothers each congratulated Rex. "Between you and Hale, I'd say this was a pretty successful night, right boys?" he added, turning to his men.

They all cheered their agreement, slapping Hale on the back and putting beer in his hands to toast with. "To Hale and the Captain!" They toasted, spilling a little on the floor as Rex stood up to join them. Even he could no longer play mad.

Rex pulled Ahsoka out of the booth and they joined the rest of the couples out on the floor laughing and dancing. Even as the alcohol and the lights began to dull their senses, they never left each other's side, sneaking quick kisses as the men watched and cheered.

Hale and Vikki had become inseparable, hands interlocked the rest of the night as they celebrated Rex and Ahsoka's new love. After enough prodding from the group, the two finally mustered up the courage to kiss, Hale grabbing Vikki and pulling her into him. She reached and arm around the back of his neck and pulled his head down into hers while Coric and Jayna led the rest in cheering. 'This night has been very successful' thought Coric, and he turned and gave Jayna a kiss.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rex's head was pounding as he propped himself up in bed. He opened one eye to be greeted with a burning pain as the black spots dotted his vision. He closed it; it was safer that way. He rubbed his temple, massaging his pressure points as his mind recalibrated itself.

After a few minutes he forced himself to stand up and he slowly stumbled into the refresher to turn on the hot water. While he waited for it to warm up, he made his way down the hall to Heron Squad's room. He opened the door to see a similar sight unfolding inside.

The five clones were in all rubbing their heads, eyes shut. Hale was the only one standing, having ingested the least alcohol of the group. But even his head felt heavy. He opened one eye.

"Good morning, Sir." He spoke softly, babying his hangover. "or is afternoon? I don't even know" Hale added, turning to look at the chrono. 1100, it said.

"Did you have fun last night, Cap'n" Coric finally spoke. Leaning back to stretch, deciding to power through this alcohol induced sickness. He turned to Rex.

"You know I did." Rex said laughing softly. "You were there, or do you not remember?" he joked, still holding his head, now pressing the back of his skull.

"We always knew you and the Commander had a thing" Kix said, standing up to be the first to take a shower. He started undressing. "You two are good together." He added, wrapping a towel around his waist. He exited the room, walking along the wall to stabilize himself.

"And you Hale!" Hardcase said starting to remember the previous night. "You and Vikki hit off rather well I think" he added, contently.

"You're welcome, by the way" Coric said, facing up at Hale. "Jayna was quite pleased with her matchmaking skills" he heaved., putting a hand over his mouth. He stood up and took off towards the refresher where Kix was waiting for the water to heat up.

Just then Rex's Comlink went off, startling him. He fumbled around, struggling to remove the device from his twisted up pocket and clicked it. It was Cody.

"Hey, Rex, good to see you finally up." The voice said, cheerfully from the other side. 'Did Cody drink last night?' Rex thought, trying to figure out why Cody wasn't hungover.

"It was a late night" Rex finally said, leaning on the wall to feel its coolness. "What's going on, Vod?" he asked.

"Well" Cody started, trying to play dramatic, "Barris wants to go on a double date tonight. She says its what normal couples do. What do you think?"

"I don't know" Rex said quickly. "I'm in no shape to go anywhere tonight, but I can ask Ahsoka about tomorrow night." He could use a day off to recover.

"Sure thing, brother." Cody said, understanding. "Just let me know if she wants to and I'll get it set up." The comlink went dead and Rex returned it to his pocket.

He made is way back to his room, where his now steaming hot shower was waiting. He got in, and immediately his head began to clear a little. The steam opened his pores and sinuses, taking away that heavy feeling in his head. After 15 minutes of relaxing in the hot water, he bathed and stepped out to call Ahsoka.

Sitting on his bed in his fatigues, Rex palmed his comlink. Should he call her so soon? What if she didn't want to talk to him right now? All these thoughts went through his head. 'No, you know what' he thought, 'If she didn't feel the same way as me, she wouldn't have came to the club last night'.

Rex keyed in her number and waited what seemed like forever. AS he was starting to get nervous and hag up a cheerful voice answered on the other line. "Hey Rex!" she said, loudly, trying to overcompensate for her obvious hangover.

Rex smiled, she just made him that happy. "Good morning, Ahsoka." He said, loving the sound her name, and smiling a little wider. "How's your head feel?"

"I think I'm dying, Rex" She admitted, groaning softly. Rex lost all traces of anxiety. She was just her normal self, the one he loved.

"Well, while you're still alive, Cody wanted to know if you wanted to go on a double date with him and Barris tomorrow night." Rex said, speaking slower and clearly.

He waited a few seconds until she spoke. "I'd love to." Ahsoka said cheerfully, "assuming my head is still attached to my body"

"Great, I'll let you know where You and Barris can meet us." And with that he said goodbye and ended the call. Now to sleep off this Hangover.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, Ahsoka woke up feeling much better than the day before. She quickly showered, throwing on her usual attire to go about her day at the temple. She planned to go visit Barris and get some background on her and Cody. She'd had no idea that Barris was dating Cody, and with her new found relationship with Rex in its infant stage, she wanted to know how she could keep it a secret from the Jedi.

Ahsoka pressed the key to open the door and nearly bumpped right into the last person she'd expected to see there.

"Master!" she said surprise to see Anakin Skywalker standing in her door way, apparently about to knock. "I thought you were on a mission for the Chancellor."

"Hey Snips" he replied, smiling at her apparent surprise. "It was a quick one, so I'm back earlier than projected." He stepped aside and motion for her to come out.

"So what was the mission?" Ahsoka asked, eyeing him suspiciously. It was unusual for him to keep a secret from her.

"I can't say" he said, not looking at her, "But that's not why I came to get you. We're leaving tomorrow evening for a deployment. The whole legion, so I'm afraid we have to cut then men's leave short." He continued.

"I understand" Ahsoka said, clearly unhappy that more than likely she would be the one breaking the news to them. "I guess I'll let Rex know." And with that Skywalker left her, saying a quick good bye and heading to the council chamber.

Ahsoka continued down the corridor towards Barris' room, when Obi Wan came around the corner. "Good morning, master." Ahsoka said, remembering Kenobi from the bar the other night.

"Hello, Ahsoka. Did you have fun at Jaster's the other night?" Obi Wan asked, eyeing her for a reaction. "I do recall seeing you come in. Late night with Rex and the boys?" he continued.

"Just spending some time with Barris" Ahsoka said, lying. She hadn't even known Barris was going to be there.

"Yes, Barris has been spending a lot of time with Cody. I hope they don't cross any lines with their relationship." Obi Wan said nonchalantly.

Ahsoka was caught off guard. Did Obi Wan condone their relationship? It was interesting to say the least. "I do recall seeing them together for a brief while" Ahsoka lamented, insinuating she knew nothing.

Kenobi smiled, "Well its of no bother to me. Good day, Ahsoka." And with that, he left, continuing on his way down the hallway.

Ahsoka finally made her way to Barris' Door and gave a quick three knocks. A few seconds late the door slid into its housing, revealing Jedi padawan Barris Offee in her usual Jedi robes.

"Hello, Ahsoka." Barris greeted her warmly. "I hear we're going out tonight with Rex and Cody." She stepped aside, allowing Ahsoka to come in. the door slid shut behind her.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about" said Ahsoka, wheeling around to face Barris. "How long have you and Cody been a thing? And How have you been hiding it?" Ahsoka was blunt. She was curious about the first thing, but desperately needed to know about the second.

Barris smiled and sat on her bed, gesturing Ahsoka to sit with her. Both girls sat, legs crossed, on Barris' bed.

"Cody and I have been seeing each other for three months now. I'd never really met him before until Geonosis, when he visited me in the medbay. He was nervous and I could tell he liked me. We kept in contact, eventually getting to meet several times in person. He always made me feel fluttery and happy, so we decided to pursue a relationship. We see each other on mission sometimes, and every time he returns to Coruscant."

Barris' story was short. She hadn't fought the feelings she had for Cody, and look how happy she was. Ahsoka regretted not accepting it earlier. She thought about all the lost time she had with Rex.

"But how did you hide it?" Ahsoka asked, reiterating her need to know.

"Easy," Barris said. "I didn't. I can lead and fight just the same with Cody as I had before I met him. I use him as to bolster my performance, not hinder it."

Ahsoka was confused. "You just let everyone know, you don't try to hide your feelings?"

"Not exactly" Barris said, explaining. "Just don't focus on them. Act natural. Rex fell in love with you the way you were before. You felt the same way, and nobody noticed. Why change?"

Ahsoka started to get it. "OK, I get it. I guess we'll see how this all works out" she said, no longer focused on worrying about it.

"Come on, Lets get ready for tonight." Barris said, pulling Ahsoka off the bed and towards the closet.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thanks to clones' high metabolism and diet, they naturally had pent up amounts of energy. This never bode well in garrison, so most took to exercising every day, some more than once. Rex worked out in the gym in the GAR compound everyday, usually with Cody or Fives.

Today was no different. Rex was doing single leg presses while Cody talked about Barris. "Barris says that the Jedi can build links through the force with other beings, so they can talk and feel what the other feels. Do you and Ahsoka have one of those?"

Rex stopped. He could sometimes pick up on her emotions and he seemed to be in sync with her feelings, but he didn't know if that was what Cody meant, or if it was just Rex's finely tuned senses.

"I'm not sure. I can't remember a time where she spoke to me through the force. But we also don't really need to. We work together." Rex resumed, switching legs while Cody thought about what he'd said.

"You're lucky, you know that Vod? If I worked with Barris, she'd never get any sleep." He said, winking at Rex. "Get what I'm sayin'?"

It took him a second. Rex looked up at him, "You and Barris… have sex?" He finally spit it out, unsure if that was what Cody was implying.

"We have once." Cody admitted, still proud of himself. "It was when we were working with them just before Saleucami. She sneaked into my room, and well, yeah."

Most clones talked about it, and a few who were lucky to be garrisoned on hospitable planets got to experience it, but Rex had never really thought about it. Could he and Ahsoka have… sex? Was that allowed?

Rex got off the machine, allowing Cody to get in for his final set. "You think Ahsoka is that type of girl?" Rex asked, genuinely curious? Cody started working out.

"I think" he grunted, pushing up on the press, "That you and her" he grunted again, returning the press to the up position once more. "Have that type" He grunted. "Of relationship" he finished, locking the weights back into place and standing up, shaking his leg to loosen it.

Rex stared at the wall, thinking about it for a few seconds. "We're gonna take this slow" Rex finally said, more to himself than Cody. "Lets get through tonight, first."

The two men left the gym and headed to their respective barracks'. After a hot shower, Rex dawned the appropriate outfit and exited his room to meet Cody out at the landing platform. It was swarming with cabs, all trying to make money from the clones going into the city on leave.

Cody walked up next to him and together they got into generic yellow speeder cab. "To Zalbarz" Cody said, handing the driver a few credits. He turned to Rex, "Woo! Your first date."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Zalbarz was as fancy a restaurant as any on Coruscant, drawing in a good level of wealthy patrons. Rex eyed it, adding up the potential cost of dinner based on looks alone. Cody seemed to guess at what is brother was thinking.

"Relax, Vod" he said, putting his hand on Rex's shoulder as they pulled up. He handed Rex a few large denomination credits. "Waxer and Boyle looted that slaver's mansion on Shiili. Figured they wouldn't mind. Dinner is covered."

The two men left the cab and posted outside the front doors of the restaurant, waiting on their dates. Only a few minutes later, Rex could feel Ahsoka coming as a teal cab pulled up and let the two Jedi out. Rex was breathless.

He'd always thought Ahsoka was attractive. The short red dress from Jaster's had redirected his blood flow quite a bit, but now; Now Ahsoka was taking his breath away. It, too, was red; but it sparkled and Flowed a behind her as she walked towards him, only inches from the ground.

"Hi, boys" Ahsoka said, clearly excited to be out. She turned to Rex, who was eyeing her, and she was emboldened by it. Now she felt sexy. Is this what it felt like to be desired?

"You look amazing" Rex finally said, holding his hand out to her. Ahsoka, smiled flirtatiously and took it, allowing Rex to lead her through the doors.

They were seated and the two couples began talking about every topic, ranging from training, the war, and battles past, to bolo ball teams and what politicians seemed to like who.

The food was great, but to Rex, the highlight was Ahsoka. Throughout the entire dinner they'd caught each other sneaking looks at the other. Rex would give her his trademark smile and Ahsoka would flash her grin that usually meant trouble. He loved it.

When it came time to pay, Rex and Cody tossed an assortment of credits on the table and stepped around to help their dates out of their chairs. Ahsoka could care less about where Rex got the credits because all she could think about at that moment was him.

"Was that great or what?" Cody asked, seeking approval for his choice in restaurant. They walked out to the street.

"I loved it" Ahsoka said, still staring up at Rex, who was trying to appear interested in Cody's conversation.

"Oh, come on, Cody" Barris said, pulling his arm towards a cab. "Let them be, you always like to tease him." She pushed him into a cab and turned back to Ahsoka and Rex. She gave a quick wink to them and dove in on top of Cody, closing the door behind her.

"There's a park around here we can walk around, if you want to stay a little longer" Rex suggested, taking her hand in his.

"What are we waiting for, lets go!" Ahsoka said, pulling him in the direction of the small bastion of trees and foilage.

The walk to the park was uneventful, the two simply enjoying each other's company; hand's still firmly in each other's grasp. They turned into the park and Ahsoka pulled him towards a fountain, lit up with multiple colors of luminescent lights.

She turned to face him and he wrapped grabbed her hips. Their eyes met and she jumped up at his face, forcing her lips on to his. She threw her arms around his neck and after a few seconds she tried something new.

Rex didn't expect it, but he knew he liked it. Ahsoka opened her lips slightly, allowing her tongue to probe his lips. Rex opened his lips and She forced her tongue into his mouth. After a second, he did the same.

This was new level of close, as their tongues explored each other's mouths. Running out of breath, they separated and she buried her face in his chest. He set his chin in between her two montrals and rubber her back, periodically stroking her lekku.

She shivered and pulled her head up to kiss him. "Rex, I have to tell you something." She said. He looked down at her inquisitively.

"What is it, Ahsoka?" he asked, bracing himself for the worst. She gazed up at him, not knowing if it was the right time.

"We're leaving tomorrow night for another deployment. Somewhere in the outer rim I think. I'm sorry, but we have to cut your leave short." She spat it out, hoping he wouldn't be too mad.

Rex looked down at her, deadpan expression on his face. Then he broke into a laugh. Ahsoka was puzzled. She'd just ruined his vacation, why was he laughing? Rex wiped an eye and looked back down at her.

"Oh, Commander. I thought you were gonna say something else." He said, not even seeming to care. "That's alright, I'll let the boys know. Four days is better than nothing."

Rex wrapped his arms around her pulling her into him even more. She looked up at him. "Thank you, Rex. For being understanding." She said, nuzzling her face into his chest. At least they'd be together, she thought, so we can continue on the Resolute. She smiled, face still in his shirt. Yes, they'd definitely continue onboard the ship.

"Lets just enjoy the rest of the night" Rex said, rubbing her back. "We'll worry about that tomorrow."

The two separated and started to walk again, aiming to finish their walk around the park. Rex thought about tomorrow. 'Its gonna be a long day'.

 _A/N:_

 _This chapter was a little longer, but I wanted to wrap up the story on Coruscant. I've posted a chapter a day so far and it should continue like that, about one every day or two. Please review so I know how I'm doing_.


	6. Felucia - Pre-deployment

**Chapter 6: Felucia – Pre-deployment**

It was only a few hours after lunch, but Rex was already starving. He'd been directing the flow of the supplies onto the _Resolute_ for four hours. It was boring work, unbecoming of a soldier of his caliber, but somebody had to do it. "

"Pallet 384" a trooper read off, stopping at the base of the ramp, waiting for direction. Rex looked at the datapad for the pallet's contents. '1200 servings: dehydrated nerf' it said. Rex cringed behind his helmet.

"Bay 12" he said to the trooper, hoping it would be one of the last crates. He looked up to see his saving grace, Heron Squad.

"Busy, sir?" Coric asked, duffel bag in hand. He gave a quick salute, the rest of the men following.

"Unfortunately" Rex replied, happy to see men from Torrent. "But I think that was the last of the supplies." He put the datapad on his belt, giving Coric his full attention.

"Well the boys and I are headed to put our fear in our quarters. You already moved in?" Coric set his bag down, stretching his back, now free of the weight.

"Yeah, I came aboard after breakfast with Cody." Rex replied, nodding his greeting to a group of passing troopers.

Kix stepped around Coric, pulling out his datapad. "Sir, I have a list of medical supplies that we expended more than we expected last time. I'd like our inventory amended to prevent us from running out" he said, not looking up from his datapad.

Rex's comlink started chirping before he could reply. Happy for the distraction he put up a finger and turned to answer it. "Captain Rex." He said.

"Rex, it's Skywalker, meet Obi Wan and I up on the bridge. We need to go over the mission before we get under way." The voice said. So general Skywalker really was back.

"Yes, sir." Rex said, ending the call. He thrust his datapad into Coric's hand. "Take over for me, make sure every pallet is accounted for" and he took off to the bridge, free of his boring duty.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Ahsoka Tano strode quickly down the steel corridors of the Resolute. Anakin had called her to the bridge for the briefing, but now, she was thinking about Rex. Over the four day break from the war and her role as a Commander, she'd realized how much he had meant to her. The two had confessed their love and only force could tell what the future held. She felt the possibilities were endless, with her new found wisdom and interpretation of the Jedi teachings.

She loved him, that's for sure. What did people who were in love do? Her instincts had successfully got her this far and now they were telling her things that made her blush, and feel excited. 'He's mine' she thought. 'What's their to be embarrassed about?'.

Ahsoka was deep in thought, not noticing how fast she'd been walking. She nearly fell, bumping into a trooper trying to get out of the elevator. She recovered quickly, turning a darker shade of orange then normal.

"Rex!" she said, happy to see the Captain that had made her feel things she'd never felt possible. "Are you headed to meet with Skyguy, too?" she asked.

Rex pulled off his helmet, revealing his trademark smile. "I was, Commander." He said, voice dropping a couple octaves, the way she loved it. "Care to join me?"

The two walked down the corridors, slightly slower than before. Neither said a word, but basking the feeling of being in the other's company. They passed the crew members, oblivious to the emotional fireworks going off between the clone captain and the attractive Togrutan Jedi.

The bridge of the Resolute was busy, crew members running pre-flight check, while Admiral Yularen ran over flimsies of data with his XO. Rex and Ahsoka turned into the meeting room, the Captain walking, now, two steps behind her.

"Hey-a, Rex." General Skywalker said, greeting his second in command cheerfully. "Good to see you and the men again." He turned to Ahsoka. "You're looking chipper, Snips"

Ahsoka blushed, walking around the table to where Kenobi was standing. "Well, if you're ready" Obi-Wan started, turning on the holotable. "We need to go over the plan to take Felucia."

"Felucia?" Rex asked, pulling up the planet in the database on his datapad. "Its just a jungle. Only small tribal villages with one larger settlement. Barely a city." He finished skimming over the information on the screen.

"Hardly worth our effort." Ahsoka said, piggybacking off Rex's description of the planet.

"I agree, but the Seperatists have a large presence their, and we believe they want to use the planet for its resources. We're not too sure of what's there, but we need to push the droids from the planet." Obi Wan said, pointing the holo-projection of the planet surface.

Anakin hit some buttons, bringing a large settlement into view on the projector. "This city is codenamed _Citadel_. It's got walls all the way around, but they were designed to keep the wildlife out." He turned to Obi Wan. "You remember Acklays, right Obi Wan?"

"Oh, all to vividly." Obi Wan replied, remembering the large green creature that had tried to kill him and Anakin in the arena on Geonosis. "And they're native to Felucia" he said, continuing for Skywalker.

"So what's the plan, General?" Rex asked, interested to see how Skywalker would want to breach the walls. "The droids have, no doubt, fortified the walls somehow."

"Yes, well we'll be dropping several AT-TE's outfitted with cannons designed to fire penetrating rounds. We create a few gabs in the wall and we get in." Anakin answered, pointing to several points in the wall where it appeared that the thick vegetation and roots that made up the defenses were thin.

"Once we're inside, our men will have the advantage. The droids' ability to street fight is limited since they're not know for their maneuverability." Obi Wan finished. "But you won't be there."

"What?" Rex asked, getting a little annoyed that he wouldn't be in the battle. "You're taking me out?"

"All of Torrent Company, actually." Anakin said. "You will lead them in a raid on an airfield ten clicks to the south." The Holo-table panned over to the village where the airfield sat.

Obi Wan outlined the airfield. "We need you to secure it, and hold it. Stop the droids from launching air craft, and stop their flow of supplies into the city. It's imperative that we have air superiority here."

"I see, sir." Rex said, back to his normal state. "shall I go brief the men?"

"Yes. But one more thing. Ahsoka and I will be aiding Obi Wan with his attack on the city. He'll need all of us there. You're on your own for this one Rex."

Ahsoka stepped in at that. "Master, shouldn't one of us go with him? What if they need help?" she asked, worried. Rarely had they been separated for a major battle.

"Sorry, Snips. Obi Wan needs all hands on deck for this. Like he said, we don't know what to expect, so we need to be careful." Anakin, apologized.

Ahsoka left the meeting room, Rex following her after a quick salute to Skywalker and Kenobi. She was mad, he could feel it. She was also scared. He wanted to comfort her, but he couldn't on the bridge.

They left the confines of the bridge, heading down the corridors to the elevator. Once inside, Rex shot a quick look around. It was empty, except for them. He finally spoke.

"I know you're not happy, Ahsoka. I wish I could be there to protect you." He said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to look up at him.

"I'm just worried about if something happens to you" she said. "We're always there for each other."

Rex smiled. She loved it when he did that. "I'll always be here for you." He said, trying to get her to give in to the moment.

Ahsoka, looked down, laughing at his attempt at corny romance. Then she looked up, throwing her arms around his neck, and pulled his face down into hers. Their lips met, and for a few seconds, their was no more war. But then they felt the Resolute shift, leaving Coruscant's surface en route to Felucia.

The two separated, reluctantly, and Rex dawned his helmet. The doors to the elevator opened up, revealing small entourage of troopers waiting to board. Rex and Ahsoka stepped out, letting them board.

"I'll see you planet side, Commander." Rex said, and with that, he headed to brief his men.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Giving a mission briefing was never easy. Rex always knew that the plan rarely survived the first engagement, leaving the troopers to fall back on their training and instincts. And each other. That was they really had, in a life where they were only supposed to survive forty or fifty years at most.

The Rec room was full, Rex standing in the front, surrounded by Torrent Company and the commanders of the other companies that comprised the 501st. Behind him on a board, was written an Op Order that seemed lacking in detail but was none the less, copied by every man in the room.

"Gentleman, we'll be hitting the ground in the jungle one click west of the city, codenamed _Citadel_." You'll move up, eliminating any resistance you meet, while protecting four specially outfitted AT-TE's. You'll have three more, of the regular variant, on loan from the 55th Mech." Rex allowed the men to copy down any notes.

"The Specialty AT-TE's will, at a range of around three hundred meters, begin blasting key spots in the wall, making openings for you and your men to advance through. Once inside, each company has a series of objectives to secure, which once completed will give us control of the city. These points have been uploaded into your HUDs for your company as well as those of the other companies. Torrent Company, however will not be part of the assault."

The men in the room stopped. Torrent Company was the pride of the 501st. It always led the attacks on the seperatists. Rex continued.

"We will be conducting a seizure of a Separatist air base located ten clicks south of Citadel, eliminating the threat of enemy air support before they can launch and strafe our ground forces, freeing up our fighters to cover our advance." Torrent company started nodding in understanding.

"Are their any questions?" Rex asked, scanning the room. Nothing. "Good. We report to the hangar in four hours. Hit time is ninety minutes after that. Good luck."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The men of Heron squad closed the door behind them as they entered their room. Immediately, each man went about preparing himself the for the coming battle, following their own unique ritual. Kix was setting up his aid bag and going over a list of plants and animals to avoid in the jungle around their target.

"There's an unbelievable amount poisonous plant life on this planet." He said to the guys. "It's a miracle anything can live there."

Hardcase was prepping his array of weapons, withdrawing an E-Web repeating blaster from the armory, perfect for putting down heavy fire on a jungle terrain due to it's light weight while still having enough stopping power to tear through vulture droids expected to be at the airbase.

Hale made his rounds of all the squad members' comms, checking that their primary frequency was correct, and programming in all the predetermined alternate frequencies. Then he went back and made sure the comm unit he carried on his back was functioning, with a full battery. He tossed another battery in the case for good measure.

Jesse checked his HUD interface, making sure his rifle scope was still calibrated to it. His modified DC-15 used the same power packs as the rest of the men, but used more power in each shot, causing him to go through more cells than the rest of the squad. Except Hardcase of course. He kept his belt filled with ammo, and had taken to attaching power packs to the armor plate on his left bicep for easy reach.

Coric watched his men prepare for their raid on the air base. This was his favorite part of any mission: The pre-deployment phase. It was here that every soldier was in his own place, psyching himself up for the excitement of combat. He turned at the sound of their door sliding open.

Fives walked in, the ARC's helmet clipped to his belt. "Hey-a, Coric." He greeted, slapping the clone on the back. "Figured I'd come along with you guys, since I'll be at the air base with you."

"Always welcome, _Vod_ " Coric said returning the gesture. Even though he was an ARC trooper, Fives was still a part of Torrent Company as far as they were concerned. "Kind of a waste though, isn't it? Sending an ARC on a simple airfield seizure?" he asked.

"Actually, I have my own mission once we get inside." Fives answered, confirming Coric's suspicions that there was more to it. "I'm hitting the server room to see what codes I can slice from it."

"Ah" Hardcase said, "Up to some more spook stuff for the ol' GAR." Hardcase joked.

"Pretty much" Fives confirmed, walking over to punch Hardcase in the arm. He'd been one of the first friends Fives made when he came to the 501st. he'd made Torrent Company feel like home. All of Heron Squad had, really.

" Well I'll see you down in the hangar for manifest." Fives said, taking his leave. A nap was always the best way to use any extra time before a mission. You never know when you'll get the chance again.

"See you then, _Di'Kut_ " Hardcase yelled back.

Following the exchange, the men finished their preparations and got into their bunks for a nap before their hit time.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

As the men of the 501st gathered in the hangar bay to board the gunships that would take them down to the planet's surface, Rex had already gathered the men of Torrent Company. He looked at them, now, formed up in their squads. He had eighty-five men. They were the best in the legion, but still, they were facing an unknown number of droids. Whatever the number was, it had to be large enough to draw the Republic into battle on an otherwise useless planet.

Rex thought about Ahsoka. She was in the other Hangar, conferencing with Generals Skywalker and Kenobi. She wouldn't be back before Rex boarded a gunship, so he wouldn't see her until they hit the planet and rendezvoused with the main group after securing the air base.

When the company commanders of the other companies signaled the all ready, he gave the order to board the gun ships. He joined Heron Squad on a gunship piloted by Crash. Crash was known for having gone through several LAAT/i's since the war had started. It was the joke that he'd always wanted to be an infantry trooper, so he crashed his ships intentionally to fight on foot.

"Wait till we get off this crate before you crash it this time" Hardcase joked after Crash commed in to their private helmet frequency.

"Seriously _, Vod,_ I'm not looking forward to another bad landing" Kix added.

"You boys have no sense of adventure." Crash answered, laughing manically from the cockpit. Crash finished conducting his pre-flight checks.

Hale was silent, listening to his brothers banter, but all he could think about was Vikki. It would be shame to finally have found the perfect girl, just to get killed by some droid in the jungle. 'Or by a _Di'kut_ pilot' he thought to himself, smiling. He'd promised her he'd come back and that when he did, they'd get the time to themselves that they wanted. She'd been borderline hysterical when he told her they'd been called back for a deployment. But, he did his best to cheer her up. The last night home, the two had spent it together, exploring their new romance and each other.

Hale's thoughts were interrupted by the familiar feeling of the Resolute dropping out of Hyperspace. A couple of minutes later, the doors to the hangar opened up, revealing a green, lush planet. It was vibrant against the dark background of space, its eight moons dotting the space around it.

Rex gazed at his chrono. They were right on time. He leaned out, giving the OK sign to the ground crew, and ducked back in. He gave one last look to the planet. The doors slid shut, the panels locking to seal out the vacuum of space. "Here we go!"

 _A/N: So these next few chapters are going to take place on Felucia. I'm braking them down into stages, the next one obviously is them landing and the initial engagement for both, the assault on Citadel and the raid on the air base. Sorry if there is formatting issues, I'm still experimenting with it. Review and Let me know what you all think and what you want._


	7. Battle of Felucia Pt 1

A/N: So this chapter has a lot of (maybe) jargon in it. Most of it is easy to figure out. I tried to use phrases and words that are known in the star wars universe. A couple of things I wanted to put in the help with comprehension is:

-E-Web is basically the Star wars version of a heavy machine gun. Like an M240B

-When soldiers are advancing in an urban environment, they use a staggered column formation, basically a line on either side of the road and each trooper is staggered to the person across the street to them. Its ideal for getting complete security when you're moving down a street.

-You have to understand how momentum works in a firefight. When one side has all the momentum in a firefight, it makes it difficult for the other side to even return fire, making it very one sided. The introduction of heavier weapons, like Hardcase's E-Web can change that. By eliminating the droids that are firing, it allows the clones that are being fired upon to recover and begin placing accurate return fire, thus gaining their own momentum.

Chapter 7: Battle of Felucia Pt. 1

The gunship lifted off, carrying its cargo through the hangar doors of the _Resolute_ , and out into the space battle that had begun. The Separatist ships in orbit around the planet had not expected the Republic fleet which left an opening for the Battle cruisers to fire on the droid ships while safely sending the gunships to the planet's surface.

The men in Crash's gunship held onto the rails running the roof of the troop compartment as he navigated through the atmosphere of the jungle planet. Torrent company had left first, the eight drop ships carrying them descending on the village that concealed a Separatist airbase.

Rex hated being in the gunships when they transitioned from the vacuum of space to the atmospheric conditions of planets. The shaking and rattling never helped the nerves or the feeling in ones' stomach before a battle.

He looked around at the two squads in the gunship with him. Heron squad and Tonto squad were some of the best, comprised of veterans from the early days of the war. Denal led Tonto squad, being one of the only men remaining from the battle of Teth, just like Coric, Rex, and a select few.

The Gunships stopped their fast descent, beginning to move in a more lateral direction, signifying they were getting close. The red light came on, lighting up the dark compartment. Rex turned to face the men, hand to the side of his helmet.

"Ten minutes" he shouted so the men could hear him over the screams of the engine and the inaccurate flak from the unprepared air defense turrets.

The men began loosing up, circulating adrenaline to their limbs. They check the power cells on their weapons and ran a comms check, making sure everything was fully functioning.

The seals on the doors opened, allowing natural light in from the slits. The red light flicked off, switching to a more brighter amber color. Rex turned back to his men after conferring with Crash via helmet com.

"Time on target, one minute." He said, removing one of his pistols from its holster. "Here we go boys, touch and go."

The doors slid open, exposing them to the elements and small arms fire from the village, about four hundred meters away. The gunships reached ground level, flicking on the green light a meter off the ground.

"Green light, Go!" Rex shouted leaping out as soon as it switched on. He jumped the last meter to the ground an took off to the tree line, the rest of the men following suit. No sooner had the gunship hit the ground, then it was taking back off, almost like it had simply bounced off the ground.

The rest of the gunships performed similar feats, the men disembarking quickly to allow their pilots a safer return flight. The tree line was soon filled with clones in blue trimmed armor forming up into their squads to move into the village.

Rex called a halt when they reached the first building of the village, still concealed in the foliage of the surrounding jungle. Reaching into his belt, he pulled out a tiny sphere and tossed it high into the air.

The small droid flew straight up, and hovered a hundred meters above the ground. In his HUD, Rex began receiving feed of the village and the airbase. He sent the feed to his squad leaders, so they could understand the task at hand.

The Village was small, the largest building a two story structure in the middle. Rex could make out several spots where anti air defenses were stationed. The airfield still had its fighters, meaning that the space battle overhead was still in its early stages. Only one building was present in the confines of the airbase, a large control tower on the far side. Outside of the main gate sat their biggest problem. A single AAT overlooked the road to the entrance.

Focusing on the tank, Rex commed his squad leaders. "You tracking this, boys?" he asked, making sure they all saw the threat.

"Yes, Sir" they all replied, annoyance lining their voices. The tank hadn't moved since they'd arrived, but that could change at any moment.

"Coric, take your squad and Rhino squad over the east side of the village. Use the E-Web and put fire down on that gate. Draw the tank into the village and destroy it." Rex said, outlining the plan for him. "Make the clankers think we're pushing towards the gate."

Coric gave a quick salute and led the ten man team through the huts and structures that lined the eastern perimeter of the village.

Rex re-examined the feed of the airbase. He noticed that on the western fence, their was a large area that was poorly guarded by a single tower. If they could destroy the tower, then it would create a large enough gap in the other towers' fields of fire for the men to move up along the fence line.

Setting the bulk of his company in position amongst the buildings outside the airbase, Rex began pounding the nearest tower with heavy fire, the droids now aware of the clones' presence in the village. Using the cover that his men provided, he and Tonto squad began moving to the western wall.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Jek surveyed the droids in the tower that guarded the western wall. He counted three B1s manning a repeating heavy blaster cannon. It was clearly designed for blasting large numbers of men, but the five of them spread out might be able to evade it.

"There's three of 'em up their, sir. I can take open up with the E-Web, and you guys can move up to the wall. A frag would take care of them if you get it in their." Jek said, pulling down the bi-pod legs of his E-Web repeating blaster.

Rex nodded, signaling for the men to wait for his signal. Jek lay prone at the corner of a hut, hiding the bulk of his body behind a thick wooden corner piece, leaving only his head and the E-Web exposed to fire.

"Let her rip" Rex ordered, and a second later Jek's blaster began unloading on the tower. Because of the hundred meter distance, it was impossible to maintain accurate fire without firing in short bursts, but with a target in sight, the droids turned their attention the new threat. Both parties traded fire, the wooden beam, disintegrating after a few direct hits.

Rex and the rest of Tonto squad covered the distance in seconds, slamming into the permacrete wall of the airbase. Looking up, he could see the fire from the droids' tower. They four clones moved along, hugging the wall until they were directly under the threat.

Denal pulled a grenade out, and took several steps away from the wall. Once the tower was in view, he activated it and tossed it over the wall. he had just slammed into the wall beside Rex when the grenade went off, silencing the tower.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The men of Torrent Company on the south side of the wall were still taking heavy fire from the two towers left when Captain Rex and Tonto squad came around the corner of the airbase, still hugging the wall. Several men lay dead, bodies strewn across the open ground between buildings. A few huts were in ruins, troopers using the smoldering debris as cover.

Ringo, the squad's explosives specialist pulled out two bricks of a putty like substance from pouches attached to his thigh. He handed gobs of it to each of the men in Tonto squad and they began rolling it in their hands, stretching it into a thin strip. Each handed his back to Ringo, who began expertly sticking the strips onto the permacrete wall creating the desired shape of their future entrance to the airbase. He stuck a blasting cap into each corner of the oblong door way.

Rex synced up the detonator to his gauntlet and began moving back along the wall to get cover around the corner. He pulled up his comms to the men in the village.

"All squads, prepare to breach." He said, checking the power on his pistols. "Move up once you hear the explosion, use the cover to get under those guns."

He silently counted down, waiting for the droids to open up with their cannons again. He tapped a button on his gauntlet and turned his head away from the corner. The mufflers in his helmet helped a bit, but that much plastic explosives could make put off more than few decibels. He felt the shockwave in his heart and immediately turned around the corner, pistols up.

The men moved up, taking cover in the debris from the explosion. The first wave of clones coming through the new entrance were surprised to see so many droids still inside the base. Rex came through the hole to find dozens of B1s firing at his men, now crouched behind several containers on the tarmac.

Once the rest of the company started coming through the wall, the clones began moving up, closing on the tower and the landing pads which still housed dozens of Vulture droid fighters.

Squads of troopers began moving along the perimeter, firing into the mass of droid defenders that had formed up to plug the hole in the wall. Then, Rex heard several distinct Whoomp noises coming from the mine entrance. Heron squad had engaged the AAT.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The men of Heron and Rhino squad hadn't particularly wanted to fight the tank guarding the gate, but in the process of trying to take out one of the towers along the eastern wall, they had set off alarms across the base.

The gate opened up, revealing a company of battle droids marching towards the buildings that housed the clones. Then, they started firing. The onslaught of red blaster bolts was more than a match for the flimsy huts around them, and the clones' cover began disintegrating.

"I love it when they line up!" Hardcase yelled, dropping to the ground behind a bulky piece of debris and opening up with his E-Web blaster. He concentrated his fire on the first rank of droids, trying to give his brothers a brief respite to catch a foothold to return fire and begin advancing again.

The men of Heron and Rhino squad caught the lull in the barrage and used it to re-take the upper hand. They started firing into the new rank of droids, back in their groove. With the droids no longer advancing, Coric tried to raise Rex on his Comm. Nothing.

The next thing he knew, Coric was flat on his back, every muscle in his body aching. The AAT was moving, now. Coric got up, the house he was using for cover, no longer there.

"Fall back, draw them into the village." He shouted, waving the men back. He knew that the AAT couldn't navigate in the tight confines of the settlement.

The droids reached the edges of the village, and their formation broke, unable to fit in between the buildings. The droids continued on, in groups of two or three. The AAT followed the B1s, taking a wide path through the village.

With the odds now on their side, the clones used the droids' inability to street fight to their advantage, overpowering them.

Jesse and Hale waited, backs pressed against the wall inside a hut. The AAT hummed loudly as it passed, rattling the thin walls of the home. Once it passed, the two clones pied the corner slowly, checking for droids.

Assured that the coast was clear, they jogged up behind the tank. Switching to helmet commms, Jesse instructed Hale while he pulled security.

"Alright Hale, use the side cannon as a foothold and climb up to the turret." Jesse said, scanning the street behind the tank.

"Got it, I'm up." Hale said, balancing on the turret as he tried to quietly figure out a way to open the hatch.

"The hatch is sealed shut with an electro-magnet. You need to force it open. Use a vibro blade to create a gap in the front." Jesse said, helping the Comm tech.

Hale pulled pried open the hatch and tossed a thermal detonator in to it. He slid down the sloped surface of the tank and rolled away, ignoring the pain in his tail bone from hitting the hard packed ground. The AAT's armor muffled the explosion, but the tank's repulsors stopped functioning, causing the body to fall to the ground and the turret to sag.

"Good job, _Vod_ " Jesse said, slapping hale on the back.

Regrouping with the rest of Heron squad and Rhino squad, they made their way to the now open gate. Moving in a staggered column formation, they swept the entryway for droids, spotting the last of the defenders holed up by the control panel for the droid fighters.

"We can't let them launch those fighters!" Rex shouted over the helmet comm system. "All squads, move on them, now!"

Heron and Rhino joined their brothers, engaged outside the platform that held the control panel. A B1 was furiously working at the console, trying to launch the droids. If the vulture droids could get airborne, then the clones on the ground would be killed off, and the next wave of gunships would be destroyed.

With only two thirds of his men left fighting, Rex was running out of ideas. The small droids force on the platform was keeping them from securing the airbase. Finally, he decided to risk calling in some make-shift air support.

"Hale, do you read me?" he asked, comming the communication specialist from Heron Squad.

"Roger, sir. What do you need?" Hale replied, making his way to Rex, dodging sporadic blaster fire from the remaining droids. He dove into cover next to Rex.

Rex pointed to the platform and said "I need that destroyed. All of it. Get me the crew chief from Crash's gunship." He watched the trooper work, tapping furiously on his wrist link.

"Got it, Sir. Transferring to your helmet comm now." Hale said, tapping a few more buttons.

"This is Sergeant Streiker, what can I do for you, Cap'n?" the voice on the other line asked.

"Sergeant, I need a target destroyed on the ground, but its too precise for aerial bombardment. I need you to make a pass over head and try to hit it with your side turrets."

Rex waited. This kind of request was unheard of. Gunships didn't provide combat support, they were troop carriers.

Streiker replied after a minute. "Ah, _Fierfek_. Crash says he'll do it. But you knew he would do it, or you wouldn't have asked. Relay me the coordinates and ill pass it on to my gunners."

Rex smiled behind his helmet. "Coming in now." He turned back to the platform and sent a few shots from his pistols at its defenders. After a few minutes, the familiar sound of a lone LAAT/i was heard and Crash's voice came whooping over the comm system.

The gunship swooped in and came to a hover just meters off the ground. The twin ball turrets on its wings opened up with bright green bolts, leveling the whole platform in seconds, while the men on the ground hugged the tarmac, hoping to avoid being injured by stray bolts or from the energy coming off the gunship's engines.

Crash let out one more war cry, and then peeled away, returning to his route back to the Resolute.

The men moved over the platform's railings, securing the control panel, or what was left of it. They surveyed the damage done to the platform. It had been wiped clear of all traces of droids.

Coric walked up to Rex, offering an informal salute. "Sir, I can't believe you did that." He said, clearly rattled from the insane pilot hovering over his head firing cannons less than a meter from his position.

Rex gave a short laugh and looked around the base. "I guess I been with General Skywalker too long."

It was currently H-Hour + 0030. In a half an hour, they had secured the air base, opening the way for the main force to safely assault the _Citadel_. Rex opened his long range comms and keyed in Anakin's comm.

"General, Sir." He said. "We've secured the airbase, you're all clear for the attack on the _Citadel_."

"Good job, Rex. Hold the base until we send for you." Anakin said, audible blaster fire in the background.

"Yes, sir." Rex replied, adrenaline leaving his system. 'He's already in combat' he thought.

Of course Rex wasn't necessarily worried about Anakin. He was more concerned for Ahsoka.


	8. Battle of Felucia Pt 2

Chapter 8: Battle of Felucia pt. 2

Anakin Skywalker leapt atop spider droid, thrusting his lightsaber into its body, disabling it. he'd just finished his brief conversation with Rex, who had confirmed that enemy air support had been crippled. Now, all Anakin had to do was protect the AT-TEs that were is key getting into the _Citadel_.

He sliced a B2 in half at the waist, then used the force to throw it into a the next rank of droids. His men rallied behind him, trying to keep the battle droids' attention off of the walkers and clear an opening for them to get within range of the wall.

Obi Wan Kenobi leapt from the top of one of the modified AT-TEs, joining his former padawan who had caught up to Commander Cody at the front of the assault. "I've just spoken with the gunner. He says at this rate, they'll be in range in ten minutes" Obi Wan said, deflecting shots away from his men.

"Rex and his men seized the airbase." Anakin replied, relaying Rex's report to Kenobi. "Let's pick up the pace!" Anakin shouted, waving the men of the 501st forward.

Cody watched them move a few more meters before stopping to take cover from the next wave of droids. He switched to the 212th's internal comms. "Come on, troopers, lets help the boys in blue out!"

The battle droid defenses around the Citadel were heavier than what was expected, but thus far hadn't hampered the Republic's advance on the city. Obi Wan suspected that the bulk of its defenders lay within the confines of the _Citadel_. He looked back at their AT-TEs, stomping over the vegetation, slowly making their way through the thinner expanse of jungle they'd chosen for the avenue of approach.

The gunners on the main cannons fired enthusiastically, opening up gaps in the battle droids' formations for the clones to penetrate. Smaller turrets operated by crew members inside the hull picked off the heavier droids like the spider droids and groups of Super Battle Droids.

"We've got the advantage, General" Cody observed, speaking to Kenobi. "The droids can't maneuver in the vegetation." He shot two B1s who were stuck in the mud at the base of a large bulbous plant.

"I agree, this may prove to be a quick victory, assuming we can get into the city." Obi Wan replied, slashing through two droids who'd made it to the clones' line.

"General, we're approaching firing distance." One of the AT-TE drivers said, chiming into Obi Wan's wrist comm.

"Halt the walkers just inside firing range, Link, Wait until we get closer to the wall before you fire. No need to fight more droids than we have to at once." Obi Wan ordered, scanning the distance between them and the wall.

The AT-TEs' side turrets opened up as a new wave of droids appeared from the foliage in front of them. The clones stopped their advance, taking up positions behind any cover they could fine, firing into the droids.

Several waves later, the men were within a hundred meters of the wall, using the jungle as cover as they surveyed the wall. It was an uneven height, averaging around ten meters tall. It was comprised of thick stalks of vegetation planted there to form a natural barrier to keep the planets carnivorous wildlife away. Over the years it had grown thick, strengthening with every generation of vines and trunks that grew over it.

"Ok, Link, concentrate your fire on a single spot at the base of the wall. Fire when ready"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The AT-TEs recoiled as the modified cannons atop of them sent their heavy projectiles racing towards their target. Each one fired a single penetrating round, tipped with a delayed fuse, allowing it to sink into the depths of the wall before it exploded. The rounds raced across the jungle top, covering the distance in seconds and burying themselves within a meter of each other in the base of the wall.

A split second later, a high pitched crack was heard and the rounds blasted chunks out of the natural wall, launching pieces into the air.

The AT-TEs each sent another round downrange, targeting the same spot. The rounds buried themselves in the fraying wall, sticking in the sappy mess that it had turned into as the plant life it was comprised of bled and oozed.

Another second later, a blast signified their success, as a five meter hole now sat in the wall, the opening a tangle of roots and a sap filled crater. Link examined the gap in the wall, deeming it acceptable.

"Sir, we've cleared a path. You're clear to advance." Link said, awaiting further orders.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Commander Cody surveyed their new entry point into the _Citadel_. It was messy, but he could make it work. "Orders, General?" he asked, preparing to lead the assault in.

Obi Wan scanned the hole with his macro-binoculars. The AT-TEs had done a good job, creating a hole large enough for the troops to rush in in large numbers, not creating a choke point. But something felt wrong.

Anakin ran up, Ahsoka right behind. "Obi Wan, I've got a bad feeling about this." He said, turning to his padawan.

Ahsoka felt it ,too. A disturbance in the force, like something bad was coming. 'I wonder how Rex and the boys are doing.' She thought. The last she'd heard, they'd taken the airbase. Obi Wan's comlink interrupted her thoughts.

"General Kenobi, this is Admiral Yularen. A large Separatist fleet has just dropped out of hyperspace. We are engaging them now." It said.

"Admiral, what are they doing here?" Anakin asked, speaking into his comlink.

"They're launching troop carriers, general. I advise you prepare for evacuation." Admiral Yularen replied.

Kenobi's comlink went off again, incoming from Rex. "General, we've got several troop carriers in bound. We can't hold off that many clankers, sir."

Obi Wan reacted quickly. It was obvious that they'd been led into a trap, but they could still make it out. Their forces were now in three groups. One was rather far away but had a good LZ to evacuate their men. But, the AT-TEs would never make it.

"Ahsoka, take a company of men and rendezvous with the walkers. Hold out there. We're going to meet up with Rex at his LZ and when we have the men away, we'll, come get you and your men." He said, calculating the time before the droids landed and began swarming over them.

"Yes, master." She said, trying to hide the worry in her voice. She knew Rex would come for her. Ahsoka called to some men to follow her and they took off to rejoin the walkers.

"Come, Cody, we have to forget about the city. If we hurry, we can make it to the landing zone in thirty minutes." Obi Wan said, waving his men in the direction they were moving.

Cody was not happy to be retreating, but he knew what was at stake if the droids landed wile they were still on the surface.

"Rex, do you copy?" Anakin said, speaking loudly into his comm. He waited for the Captain to reply.

"Yes, sir. Orders?" Rex replied, awaiting his next move.

"Return to your landing zone and secure it. we'll meet you there soon. We've called for dropships to evac us out of here." Anakin answered.

"Roger, sir. Rex out." Came the reply. The call ended.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jek had just finished rigging the inactive Vulture droids on the platforms to detonate when he received the order to evacuate. He quickly primed the detonator and hurried to find Captain Rex.

Rex was relaying orders to his squad leaders, outlining the defense of the landing zone and order of evacuation. "Heron squad and Tonto squad will be on the last gunships. We will be providing escort to retrieve…Commander Tano… and her men from the walkers.

Now Rex was worried. Why was Ahsoka separated from the rest of the force? As his men dispersed to form up to leave the base, Jek walked over and held his hand out. Rex looked.

"You rigged the fighters to blow?" he asked, confirming that the trooper had done as instructed.

"Yes sir. Just waiting for you to hit the trigger. Once we leave, presumably." Jek joked, handing the detonator over to his Captain.

"Alright, fall in, we move in five."

Once the men were outside the perimeter of the village, Rex hit the detonator, the explosion from the fighters hitting the ammo depot and the buildings next to it, causing a large shockwave to come permeating through the jungle.

In a short forced march, the men of Torrent Company reached the landing zone and set up their perimeter, taking up prone positions facing outwards to repel any attackers. The opening in the jungle was just large enough to fit a dozen or so LAAT/i gunships.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Obi Wan and Anakin led the men through the jungle, they made sure to keep a sharp eye out for separatist activity and the dangerous local wild life. The troopers moved quickly in a several long columns parallel to each other, covering the distance to the rendezvous point in the thirty minute time frame.

When they approached the jungled area around the clearing they would be using as a landing zone, Cody commed Rex.

"Rex, You there?" he asked, hoping Rex had made it to the evac site ok.

"Roger that. We're picking you up coming in from the north. Confirm." Rex replied, awaiting confirmation of their position.

"Roger, we are moving in from the north, we're coming in to your perimeter." Cody replied, using one arm to signal his men forward.

The men joined Torrent company in watching the surround jungle, while Cody, Obi Wan and Anakin joined Rex in the cover of several large plants at the edge of the clearing.

"Captain Rex, what's the status on our gunships?" Anakin asked, surveying the make shift landing zone. It would take several trips to get all the men.

"Incoming now, General" Rex replied, monitoring his HUD. As if on cue, several gunships swooped in, landing on the planet surface, doors opening up to allow troops to board.

"Generals, this Crash" the pilot said chiming into their comms, all notes of enjoyment drained from his voice. "You got clankers incoming from all sides. You need to evac now."

"Take up defensive positions, we'll be evacuating under fire, boys." Cody shouted getting his men ready to fight. The first wave of clones boarded the gunships, the pilots lifting off quickly, as to return as soon as possible.

The first wave of battle droids emerged from the dense vegetation, struggling to maneuver in the ungodly terrain. The whole perimeter erupted in blaster fire, clones keeping the droids as far from the clearing as possible as more ships arrived from the _Resolute_ to rescue the surrounded troopers.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Crash navigated his gunship around flak from ground fire. Flying an LAAT/i was similar to flying a giant box, but after years of training and experience, he'd grown accustomed to maneuvering the bulky transport without damaging its cargo.

The hull shuttered as stray shots bounced off it. He checked his readings. The shields were holding. So far nothing too strong had hit them. He commed one of the flight leaders as he began leaving the planets atmosphere.

"Be advised, Transports are exiting the atmosphere, I say again, we require escort to the _Resolute_." He repeated it a couple more times. A squadron of V-19s formed up around the gunships, fending off attacking Vulture droids until they were safely inside the hangar.

"Alright boys, this should be our last trip. Just gotta pick up Torrent Company and the men defending the walkers." He relayed to the other pilots. This last sortie would be dangerous. Now the seps knew that the Republic was retreating. They would be targeting the drop ships.

The gunships left the safety of the hangar, dodging the ensuing battle that was raging between the two fleets. So far they'd only lost a couple of gunships, but now the droid fighters were waiting for them, the V-19s barely able to fend them off until the Gunships reached the planet's atmosphere again.

"General's we're incoming, prepare to board!" Crash yelled, anxious to get this last group of clones and Jedi and get back to the _Resolute_.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright boys, collapse the perimeter!" Cody called, the last men falling back to the gunships that had just landed. The droids were closing in now as the men fired, backing up into the safety of the ships.

The gunships took off, the turrets on the side firing erratically trying to ward off droid fire.

"Ahsoka! Prepare to retreat!" Anakin shouted into his comlink.

"What?! Master, we're winning. There can't be many left!" she replied, angry that her master was ordering her to retreat when they'd fought so hard to defend the walkers there.

"That's an order, Ahsoka!" he shouted. He watched more droids coming up behind her position.

"Put the Gunships down in front of her men!" he ordered to the pilot.

Ahsoka watched in horror as the gunships dropped in front of her. Blocking her from engaging the droids any further. Then she saw Rex.

"Commander, move it! NOW!" he ordered motioning her and he men to his gunship.

She ran to the gunships, driven by Rex's urgency. When the last of her men boarded, Crash shut the doors and pulled straight up, wanting to get out of there as fast as possible. The walkers exploded, shooting flames up into the sky, sending debris into the jungle.

Ahsoka watched her position get overrun, immediately feeling guilty. She'd ignored orders, endangering her men. Rex had come for her, and she'd endangered him; the man she loved because of her arrogance.

She turned from the doors, facing into the ship. Facing Rex. Ahsoka looked down at her feet. 'I can't even look at him right now' she thought. 'I don't feel like a commander. I'm an idiot.'

Rex watched her. He knew she was feeling, well, stupid. He looked around the troop bay. Only clones in here. Coric eyed him, and nodded his head. He shouldered Denal who did the same. The clones in the bay turned their bac to Rex and their Commander.

Ahsoka heard the shuffling noise of boots on durasteel and looked up. 'Great' she thought 'They don't even want to look at me'. She looked at Rex, who was taking helmet off. He looked tired.

Rex pulled her into him, hugging her, rubbing her back and putting chin between her montrals. It was brief but when they separated she looked better. He smiled and put his helmet on.

"Sometimes we make mistakes" he said. "But its what we take from them that makes a good leader." Ahsoka nodded, understanding.

"Alright boys, we're clearing the atmosphere!" Crash shouted back into the troop bay. The men turned back inwards, grabbing the rails overhead for support.

"Better hope our flyboys are still fighting, or this is gonna be a short trip that end in a bang." Crash added, laughing. "All gunships fall in, Here we go!"

A/N:

So I really wanted to finish up the battle on Felucia, ending it the way it ends in The Clone Wars TV show with some minor differences to fit my own Canon. The next chapter is going to take place when they hit space (because I've always wanted to write a space battle) and then on the _Resolute_ where more adventures await.


	9. Evacuating Felucia

**Chapter 9:** Evacuating Felucia

V-19 Torrent fighters streaked past in pursuit of the smaller Vulture droid fighters as the large, bulbous Larty gunships left the jungle planet's atmosphere. Maneuvering the box-like aircraft was never easy to begin with, and the ensuing space battle only made it more difficult.

Crash checked the shields on his panel, making sure they were at full strength. "We're two minutes out from the _Resolute_ , boys! Hang in there!" he shouted through his comms to the pilots behind him.

The lengthy formation of gunships followed him through the fray, as their fighter pilots fought off as many droid fighters as they could. A small flight of Torrents passed across their path, breaking formation as a new gaggle of droid fighters advanced head first.

Crash watched as they lead pilot pulled up and around to the left to drop in behind the vulture droid, spraying the mechanical threat with a long burst of blue blaster bolts from its cannons. His squad mates pursued their quarry in a similar, textbook fashion, reforming off their leader after destroying their targets.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Goose's squadron fell in behind him after eliminating the flight of vulture droids that had came at them moments ago. He checked his system readings, allowing everything to recalibrate after his radical maneuver. All pilots accounted for, all systems green.

He looked out his port window to see the last of the gunships exiting Felucia's atmosphere. "Maverick Squadron, form up on those Larties, we're gonna bring 'em in." he ordered, pulling his controls back and to the right. His fighter veered left and he fell in to the left of the gunships, coming between them and any oncoming droids.

The rest of his pilots surrounded the evacuating gunships, forming a somewhat protective perimeter around them. Goose scanned the battle off his port side, doing a mental count of his brothers out there. They were easily outnumbered, but the clone pilots had maintained a short radius from the _Resolute_ and its frigates, allowing the turrets of the larger carriers to supplement their strength.

"All fighters, report back to the _Resolute_. The last of the gunships are inbound now. Maverick Squadron, provide escort. Over." A call came in over the radio. Goose checked that it had transmitted to his squad and flipped the return channel.

"This is Green leader, we copy Command. Be advised, gunships coming in under fire" Goose replied, pulling away from the gunships to face another wave of vulture fighters coming from their nine o'clock.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Crash watched his fighter escort pull off to the left to face another wave of droids. "Our escort is engaging, lets use this as our chance to make it into the hangar." He said, coming to his other pilots. He accelerated, putting space between himself and the new mess of dogfighting pilots to their six, and flipped a switch to transmit the landing codes for the _Resolute_.

The men in the troop bay were calm, feeling the vibrations of hits and explosions from the hull outside make their way through the bay. It was a rough approach, the only thing between them and death, the pilot with a reputation for crash landings. But, all Rex could think about was the young Togrutan padawan still sulking at his side.

Rex eyed her, scanning for any clue as to her thoughts. She hadn't really said anything since they left the planet, despite his attempt at comforting her. The ship rocked again and Rex tightened his handhold on the guide rail suspended from the ceiling. 'I'll talk to her when we're back aboard the ship.' He thought, wondering if they would even make it back at this point.

His thoughts were put at ease though, as he felt the gunship slow down and begin fighting the artificial gravity of the _Resolute's_ hangar. A minute later it set down on the durasteel floor, and the now battered and scorched doors unsealed, allowing fresh air into the troop bay.

Rex jumped out first, turning back to help Ahsoka down. She ignored his hand and simply rolled off the edge. He shot a glance to the left, examining how many of the gunships had mad it back, counting off in his head. They had lost at least three gunships by his count, somewhere between the planet surface and here.

He turned to follow Ahsoka, who was now headed for the lift to the bridge. Rex knew that Generals Skywalker and Kenobi were there and that Ahsoka was about to get the riot act. The two stepped into the lift, vacant aside from the two of them.

Rex grabbed her shoulder and turned her towards him. Her eyes were wide with surprise at the movement but he could still see a light layer of tears in them. He sighed, unsealing his helmet and clipping it to his belt.

"Ahsoka, I know that you know what you did was wrong. And we're going to work on that. But…" He let out a knowing sigh. "We both know that General Skywalker is going to say some erratic things up there. Just take the important parts and let the rest roll off of you." He finished.

Ahsoka, nodded. They both knew what Anakin could be like when he was mad, and boy was he angrier than ever. Ahsoka had disobeyed a direct order and nearly gotten herself and her men killed. Even Master Kenobi was showing sign of anger, but he usually calmed down faster than Anakin.

The lift continued upwards to the bridge. "He's gonna send me back to the temple, Rex" Ahsoka said, terrified of what was soon to become of her. "He'll send me to the Agri-Corps."

Rex smiled a little at that. "Ahsoka, the General would never send you away. You belong here. Just take the lecture and the lesson and it wall all blow over." Rex said, trying to comfort her, but she was having none of it.

The lift slowed to a halt. Ahsoka straightened up as the doors opened to the bridge, revealing the busy show of clone and officers preparing to retreat from the hostile airspace. In the middle of the fray were Jedi Masters Kenobi and Skywalker, standing around a holotable de-briefing Commander Cody.

Rex and Ahsoka moved to join them, the latter a few steps behind, shielding herself behind Rex. As they drew closer, the men around the table halted their conversation and turned to examine the new comers.

Rex was in his usual character, his face all business and his armor showing the signs of battle; scorch marks and dirt covering its already scratched and dulled white surface. Ahsoka was much more timid, her eyes on the ground as she moved to come to Rex's side.

"Ahsoka" Obi Wan started, trying to take the tactful route, but he was quickly cut off by Skywalker, coming full force at his padawan.

"Who do you think you are?" he shouted across the holotable, moving to come closer to her. "You disobeyed a direct order and almost got your men killed!" he continued, squaring up to the short Togruta.

As the Jedi closed the distance between him and his padawan, Rex's eyes shot over to him and he angled his head sharply, but discreetly. Skywalker was known to have a bad temper, but he would never do anything to harm his padawan, would he? Rex kept his indifferent demeanor, but paid close attention to his General's body language, watching for tensing of muscles or adjustments to his center of balance that would indicate he was about to lash out.

Anakin's voice lowered, and he brought his hand up to his face, covering it and taking a deep breath. He massaged his temples, as he spoke. "Ahsoka, that was an incredibly stupid decision you made. Why didn't you listen to me?" he asked.

Ahsoka stared at the ground for a few seconds before responding. "Master, I just thought that I could beat them. I didn't know what was happening."

Obi Wan cut in before Anakin could reply. "Anakin, remember how you were as a padawan. You listened no better then she did. What's more important is that she learns from this mistake." He said, trying to calm Anakin down and give everyone a chance to recover from the adrenaline high of combat before they started making rash decisions.

Anakin sighed. "Ahsoka, go to your quarters. We'll deal with this later." He said, trying to regain a composure more suitable to a Jedi Knight.

Rex watched as Ahsoka left the bridge, trying to maintain her military bearing amongst the men. But, Rex knew how she was feeling now. Unlike in the gunship earlier, he felt her emotions and thoughts assault him like an artillery barrage. Regret, embarrassment, sadness, betrayal, he felt it all radiate from the young woman that had stolen his heart.

"Come, Rex, we must get this debriefing over with. The council will expect to know why our assault failed." Obi Wan said, regaining the Captain's attention.

Rex nodded, and pulled out his datapad to transmit the data he had from his end of the battle. He sent over his helmet recordings as well as readings from his HUD including casualties, ammo expenditure, and a brief timeline of the mission.

As the debriefing went on, Rex grew more distracted. This was nothing new, the Seperatists were always one step ahead of them it seemed, and they'd had similar briefings to this before; where they had done everything right but had still lost due to unseen factors or sheer numbers.

What Rex was really worried about was Ahsoka. He knew how the end of the battle was tearing her apart now. She cared very deeply for her men and the fact that she had almost gotten many of them killed because of her conduct was something she was having trouble dealing with.

As the meeting drew to a close, Rex, feigned attention with the occasional nod or a head tilt and waited for the occasional question to be directed at him. Once General Kenobi powered off the holotable and began walking away with Skywalker, Rex took his cue to leave and unclipped his helmet from his belt.

Once he was back in the safety and privacy of his bucket, Rex noticed Cody move next to him. "Skywalker really dressed her down, didn't he, Rex?" he asked, interested to see how Rex had taken the lecture.

"She didn't deserve everything she got." Rex said, being tactfully vague. "She already felt bad as it was." He added, shaking his head at the ground.

"I'm sure General Kenobi will talk to him and get him to apologize. You know how those three can be." Cody said, slapping Rex on the back as the two now began moving for the lift.

"Yeah, well, I'd better make sure the Commander's ok" Rex said getting into the lift after Cody.

The lift descended as the two stood in silence, the adrenaline almost completely out of their system. Fatigue and hunger were starting to hit them now, and both of their eyes began to grow heavy.

Cody yawned, "While you do that, I'm gonna go hit the sack and make sure the boys are all good." He slapped Rex on the back again.

The lift opened on the level with the Barracks and Officers' Quarters, and the two clones got out. Rex turned to go to Ahsoka's room, while Cody continued to the barracks to make sure his men would be alright before he passed out in his bunk.

Rex's boots sounded off the corridor's walls as he strode through empty hallway. He removed his helmet, again, and took a second to make sure he was ready for what emotional barrage might come from behind the door he now stood at.

He knocked three times, short and light. He ran his hand across his shaven head, as he usually did when he fidgeted. After a few more seconds of waiting with no sound from behind the door, Rex grew impatient and keyed in the code to open it.

When it slid open, Rex eyed the sad looking Jedi sitting on her bunk with her head in her hands. It was very rare for the feisty young woman to admit defeat and give up, but here she was. Rex moved into the room, and closed the door behind him.

Plopping down on the bunk beside her, he ran his hand down her middle lekku and held it on her back, feeling her breathing relax. Ahsoka looked up, eyes still shining with tears and buried her head in his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his hugging it tightly.

It hurt Rex to see her like this. She was older than he was, yet she still seemed so young. He ran a hand down her back again, rubbing her muscles and putting his chin between her two montrals.

"Its alright, lil' one" he said, pulling her into his chest. "We all make mistakes. Remember what I said earlier?" he asked, moving his hand from her back and lifting her chin up to face him.

Ahsoka wiped her eyes, and nodded. "I remember, Rexie. I just feel so stupid."

Ahsoka sat up straighter, becoming the strong young woman that Rex knew her to be, and cleared her throat. "I will never let these men down again. I'll be someone they can count on."

Rex smiled, happy to see her rebounding from the verbal beating she had taken earlier on the bridge. "we all know we can count on you 'Soka. Especially me" he said, taking her hands and holding them in his.

Ahsoka bit her lip and tried to hide a smile. "Rex, I'm trying to be humble!" she said looking away so he wouldn't see the smile she couldn't fight back.

Rex knew he had her now. He grabbed her chin and faced her back to him. He looked into her eyes and held them there until she gave up and let the smile he loved spread across her face.

"I love you." He said, not breaking eye contact, still holding his smile as he said the words that he'd been putting off until the right moment.

Ahsoka eyes grew wider and her smile turned into an open mouthed grin as she giggled and wrapped her arms around Rex's neck.

Rex covered the remaining distance between their faces as they moved into a passionate kiss, fueled by the strong emotions that came with combat and passion mixing inside them, creating a violent hunger that they couldn't help but feed.

Ahsoka pulled her face away for a second, to catch a deep breath and gasp out four quick words.

"I love you, too."

 _A/N:_

 _So I'm sorry its been so long since I posted an update. I had a busy training week and then on top of that I was sick so I wasn't really feeling it. I meant to update last weekend but I ended up having a couple of Jumps to do, and I hate heights so I never sleep before I jump. It was a rough week._

 _You can all probably figure out where this chapter is headed, but I wanted you all to kind of guide me. I'm going to finish the scene next chapter, but it can be as simple as implied intercourse or I can keep true to the rating and give you guys the details. Let me know. The next chapter also has some serious stuff going with the troopers that a lot of soldiers go through after coming back from deployment, so if you're into the troopers' lives more than you are into Rex and Ahsoka, this chapter will be for you. Its already started so I'm going to finish it based on what you all suggest._

 _Please Review though! I have no clue how you all like it or don't. Throw me a bone here._


End file.
